Justification of the Water Price at Hydropower Plants Based on its Operational Features According to the Maximization Profit Criteria

The paper provides the review and development of the method for estimating the price of water at HPP during optimization of operating conditions based on complex criteria of ecological-and-economic efficiency under modern conditions. During the scientific research, the following general problems were solved: 1. The criterion instruments for complex estimation and optimization of electricity and heat generation and CHPP and electricity at HPP were proved on the basis of the exergy approach with justification of the conceptual system for “environmental parameters” 2. The method for calculation of a water price for HPP was developed that allows not only improving ecological situation in the region, but also increasing competitiveness of power plants. 3. The urgency of the concept of “marginal utility” used for calculation of a water price for HPP was proved. 4. The mathematical instruments for exergy optimization of the complex efficiency of processing primary resources on the basis of interconnected thermodynamic and ecological-and-economic criteria in order to generate electricity and heat were developed, and a fundamentally new method of separating fuel costs between the considered types of energy at CHPP was presented. 5. The developed exergy-and-economic and technical criteria were tested to compare various technologies for generating electricity and heat based on the optimization of operating conditions of CHPP and HPP. 6. The model was developed for launching HPP and CHPP to the competitive electricity market on the basis of solving two important and interrelated problems for managing power plant operating conditions. Moreover, CHPP are expected to have savings of specific fuel consumption for electricity generation in the amount of 5 g/kW·h and, in some case, 10 g/kW·h. In terms of money, this amounts about 7,350,000 - 14,700,000 rubles per month.