Non‐convex economic thermal power management with transmission loss and environmental factors : Exploration from direct search method

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to solve the optimal power dispatch problem of thermal generating units with cubic fuel cost and emission functions. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed Simplified Direct Search Method (SDSM) is developed from the Direct Search Method (DSM) that is a prevailing method for solving economic dispatch (ED) problems. The SDSM performs a direct search on solution space that starts with the minimum generation limits and provides the most economical schedule in a single execution for all load demands that the system can meet. Findings – A simple methodology is developed to obtain the optimal dispatches of the generators in a thermal power plant. The results of the proposed methodology illustrate improvements in the savings of total cost and marginal reduction in transmission loss. It is also suitable for solving environmental constrained power dispatch problems. The proposed approach is computationally efficient for large‐scale systems. Originality/value – A simple methodology has been developed to obtain the real power dispatches of thermal generating units with higher order fuel cost and emission functions.