Integration of nonutility generating facilities into the reliability assessment of composite generation and transmission power systems

Nonutility generating facilities (NUG) are among the most important supply-options available to utilities for generating least cost energy plans. The task of quickly and accurately evaluating their merits is becoming an important function of utility system planners and operators. The purpose of this paper is to present an improved method for assessing the overall reliability performance of composite generation and transmission power systems that contain NUG facilities. This is a method that is based on a Monte-Carlo sequential simulation approach and gives an increased emphasis in the realistic and efficient representation of the real design and operational characteristics and practices applied by both the utility systems and NUG facilities. An extended set of appropriate reliability indices is calculated for each load-point of interest, the entire system and each NUG facility under consideration. The analysis of IEEE-RTS is also included for a number of studies representing the various operating design characteristics.