WRATES: a tool for evaluating the marginal cost of wheeling

A description is presented of a computer program, WRATES (wheeling rate evaluation simulator), which can be used to evaluate the marginal cost of wheeling between utilities, private users, and private generators, taking into consideration the effects of Kirchoff's laws on transmission line flows, losses, and overloads. WRATES can evaluate the resulting marginal cost-based wheeling rates using options for incorporating the effect of capital recovery: that includes network only or network and generators with various levels of disaggregation. The theory underlying WRATES is general and suitable for online implementation. However, WRATES itself is a PC-based, user-friendly program designed for policy-type studies (the present version is for a 25 bus, 200 line, five utility system solved using a DC load flow).<
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