Thermodynamic approach to unit commitment problem

Power system operation planning involves the best utilization of all available energy sources subjected to various constraints. It includes transfer of electric energy from generating companies to the consumers with maximum safety, continuity, quality and minimum operating cost. The minimum operating cost is obtained by scheduling available cheaper units. Unit commitment involves hour to hour ordering of the units in the system to match the anticipated load and allow losses with sufficient safety margin. Simulated annealing is a derivative free thermodynamic optimization method. It provides unit scheduling with minimum running cost, where temperature is the control parameter. With time and power demand as the comparative factors, scheduling of units in a cost effective manner was done on a small power system with three generating units. The case study reveals that the total cost of production reduced to a considerable amount.