Power generation scheduling through use of generalised network flow programming

The authors present a constrained economic dispatch (CED) formulation that is based upon generalised network flow programming (GNFP). The methodology for applying GNFP to the CED problem is developed and illustrated using four examples: 5, 39, 264, and 515-bus systems. Starting with a solved loadflow case, execution times for the CED are shown to be about the same as for a Newton-Raphson loadflow, and memory requirements are approximately 75% of the loadflow. Salient features of the CED-GNFP method include the ability to minimise generation cost while meeting constraints on line flows and area interchange. Network location of loads and generators is automatically considered without need of penalty factors, and transmission line flow limits do not affect solution times significantly