Validating unit commitment models: A case for benchmark test systems

Due to increasing penetration of non-traditional power system resources; e.g. renewable generation, electric vehicles, demand response, etc. and computational power there has been an increased interest in research on unit commitment. It therefore may be important to take another look at how unit commitment models and algorithms are validated especially as improvements in solutions and algorithmic performance are desired to combat the added complexity of additional constraints. This paper explores an overview of the current state of unit commitment models and algorithms, and finds improvements for both comparing and validating models with benchmark test systems. Examples are provided discussing the importance for a standard benchmark test system(s) and why it is needed to compare and validate the real world performance of unit commitment models.