Stochastic joint optimization of wind generation and pumped-storage units in an electricity market

Abstract

One of the main characteristics of wind power is the inherent variability and unpredictability of the generation source, even in the short-term. To cope with this drawback, hydro pumped-storage units have been proposed in the literature as a good complement to wind generation due to their ability to manage positive and negative energy imbalances over time. This paper investigates the combined optimization of a wind farm and a pumped-storage facility from the point of view of a generation company in a market environment. The optimization model is formulated as a two-stage stochastic programming problem with two random parameters: market prices and wind generation. The optimal bids for the day-ahead spot market are the “here and now” decisions while the optimal operation of the facilities are the recourse variables. A joint configuration is modeled and compared with an uncoordinated operation. A realistic example case is presented where the developed models are tested with satisfactory results.

One of the main characteristics of wind power is the inherent variability and unpredictability of the generation source, even in the short-term. To cope with this drawback, hydro pumped-storage units have been proposed in the literature as a good complement to wind generation due to their ability to manage positive and negative energy imbalances over time. This paper investigates the combined optimization of a wind farm and a pumped-storage facility from the point of view of a generation company in a market environment. The optimization model is formulated as a two-stage stochastic programming problem with two random parameters: market prices and wind generation. The optimal bids for the day-ahead spot market are the “here and now” decisions while the optimal operation of the facilities are the recourse variables. A joint configuration is modeled and compared with an uncoordinated operation. A realistic example case is presented where the developed models are tested with satisfactory results.