A Heuristic Algorithm Based on Characteristic Analysis for Unit Commitment Problem

To improve the algorithm performance of mixed integer programming, determining the state of some integer variables in advance is the most direct and effective method. In this paper, we propose a heuristic algorithm based on characteristic analysis of unit and load for unit commitment problem. Starting with the initial state of a given unit, the state of every unit at each time point is examined. Then, the unit is considered to be put into operation when the system positive reserve not be met, and taking the load intersection line across this operation point to obtain all load characteristic values corresponding the unit, such as the load intersection point, intersection point-pair, regression time and so on. Finally, based on the division of load period, the treatment of the unit is determined one by one. By testing the standard examples and practical examples, the proposed method can save about 30% of computing time, which effectively improves the performance of mixed integer programming.