Solving dynamic economic dispatch problems using pattern search based methods with particular focus on the West Doha Power Station in Kuwait

This thesis is concerned with Dynamic Economic Dispatch (DED) problems, in particular in the context of the current and future needs of the electrical power system in the State of Kuwait. General Economic Dispatch (ED) issues are addressed, under both static and dynamic conditions, with valve-point effects accounted for. Improvements have been achieved in terms of lower fuel costs, but also more efficient and reliable simulation algorithms. The existing ED/DED models have been improved in various ways and enhanced by developing and incorporating two renewable energy sources; namely wind energy and solar energy. These two have been identified as most relevant to the power system investigated. The models developed are general and can be adjusted to represent many practical systems. The Economic Dispatch problem had been formulated and solved as a constrained optimisation and a particular technique selected for this purpose – not explored before – was a Pattern Search (PS) algorithm. For illustrative purposes, the proposed PS technique had been applied to various test systems to validate its effectiveness. Furthermore, convergence characteristics and robustness of the method had been assessed through comparison with results reported in literature. The PS technique was found to be very competitive in terms of its overall performance. Variations of the technique have also been explored, in particular a hybrid formulation exploiting Genetic Algorithm (GA), Pattern Search (PS) and Sequential Quadratic Programming, and advantages of such a combined technique reported. A DED model for the West Doha Power Station (WDPS) in Kuwait has been developed and the penetration of renewable energy resources to this model has been discussed. The DED model was then solved using the PS method developed in this thesis to achieve the optimal dispatch with the aim to minimise fuel costs in WDPS. Considerable potential savings in electric power production of WDPS have been identified and thus the benefits of deploying renewable energy in Kuwaiti electric system demonstrated.