Maintenance oriented algorithm for economic operation of an autonomous diesel-electric station

Abstract Modern operation of power systems is based with priority and on economical aspects. The most efficient operation of a power system is based on the unit commitment and economic dispatch concepts, which are governed by well established economical criteria. This seemingly simple approach is not always possible for various reasons, e.g. in the case of autonomous diesel–electric stations (ADES) usually located in small-medium size islands. In reality, the aim of an ADES is to cover the hourly electrical demand, while is taking into account the maintenance of the involved generating units, so they are available in appropriate time periods. Usually, a specific operating policy is followed, which determines the way the generating units should be loaded, depending on the structure of the network involved. For the proper operation of an ADES a method is developed, in this work, which generally is based on such a policy of ADES operation and in addition attempts to make a compromise between economic and maintenance constraints. The proposed method is applied successfully to an ADES of a medium size Greek island.