Using performance indices and analytic hierarchy process to select best dispatch option of energy markets

This paper presents some dispatch options and performance indices to compare these options. For each dispatch alternative, we propose to use measures for transmission congestion, energy prices, total system utilization, total system losses, and steady-state voltage stability margin. These measures are used to indicate level of system usage, congestion severity, and system security under different dispatch scenarios. The measures presented may enable the dispatch decision-making entity, such as the system operator, to compare and decide which dispatch among different dispatch scenarios is the optimal, based on agreed-upon preferences. For the decision-maker to make a compromise to decide which dispatch is better based on the established preferences or priorities, we suggest to use the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which is a method that can handle human judgment numerically in complex decision-making processes.