OPTIMAL ACTIVE POWER DISPATCH BY NETWORK FLOW APPROACH

The optimal active power dispatch problem is formulated as a nonlinear capacitated network flow problem with additional linear constraints. Transmission flow limits and both Kirchhoff laws are taken into account. The problem is solved by a generalized upper bounding technique that takes advantage of the network flow structure of the problem. The proposed approach has potential applications to power systems problems such as economic dispatch, load supplying capability, minimum load shedding, and generation-transmission reliability. The authors also review the use of transportation models for power system analysis. A detailed illustrative example is presented.