Optimizing the Utilization Rate for Electric Power Generation Systems: A Discrete-Event Simulation Model

The problem of measuring the availability of generation units in electric power systems has been addressed in the literature by using a set of analytical equations and Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). MCS, as a powerful simulation tool, is much easier to use than analytical approaches in measuring the availability of large applications. However, the simulated process using MCS entails deducing the operating state sequences for each component along the simulated time followed by combining all sequences for all components in order to deduce system availability. This simulated process is both lengthy and time-consuming. This paper introduces a new method to measure the availability of generation units and optimize their utilization using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model. The experimental result of a real case study illustrates the efficiency of using DES.