An active/reactive predispatch model incorporating ramp rate constraints solved by dual decomposition/Lagrangian relaxation

The predispatch model (PD) calculates a short-term generation policy for power systems. In this work a PD model is proposed that improves two modeling aspects generally neglected in the literature: voltage/reactive power constraints and ramp rate constraints for generating units. Reactive power constraints turn the PD into a nonlinear problem and the ramp rate constraints couple the problem dynamically in time domain. The solution of the PD is turned into a harder task when such constraints are introduced. The dual decomposition/Lagrangian relaxation technique is used in the solution approach for handing dynamic constraints. As a result the PD is decomposed into a series of independent optimal power flow (FPO) subproblems, in which the reactive power is represented in detail. The solution of the independent FPO is coordinated by means of Lagrange multipliers, so that dynamic constraints are iteratively satisfied. Comparisons between dispatch policies calculated with and without the representation of ramp rate constraints are performed, using the IEEE 30 bus test system. The results point-out the importance of representing such constraints in the generation dispatch policy.