Power plant utilization optimization
As Power Plant Optimization refers to the determination of the economically optimal driving a power plant. Restrictions such as take-or-pay contracts and district heating supply obligations can result in the power plant having to operate, even though this results in a negative result. In this case, the operational optimization determines the driving style that minimizes the loss. In general, the deployment optimization determines the economically most advantageous schedule that meets all technical and contractual restrictions associated with power plant operation.
Influencing variables
A large number of influencing factors have an impact on the result from power plant operation and thus on the economically optimal driving style, in particular:
- the current market prices for electricity
- the current market prices for the fuel of the power plant (gas, oil, coal, uranium)
- the current market prices for CO 2 certificates
- technical restrictions on the driving style (minimum load, maximum approach and departure ramps, start-up costs, etc.)
- contractual obligations z. B. from supply contracts with take-or-pay obligations
- District heating supply obligations
- CHP surcharges, network power prices and other costs and revenues that represent marginal revenues or marginal costs for operation
Technical implementation of the deployment optimization
When optimizing the use of a power plant, it is mathematically an optimization problem with secondary conditions. This can be very complex, especially when a heating network is involved. The optimization is thus typically carried out with special software in which the individual restrictions of the power plant are stored.
Power plants can achieve their results on the futures, spot and intraday markets and also on the market for control power . Optimization calculations are therefore carried out for a given power plant for all of these markets.
Long-term optimization calculations are carried out on the basis of forward market prices in order to secure the results of the power plant in the long term. For the power plant, results can also be achieved from the volatility of the futures market by marketing planned generation if it can be generated advantageously at currently visible prices on the electricity and fuel markets and is bought back (cheaper) if the current market prices do not generate any economic generation allow more. The fuel position must also be secured in each case.
The actual use of the power plant is determined from the short-term optimization calculations based on spot or intraday prices shortly before delivery. If the power plant takes part in the market for control power, the bids are also determined here from an optimization calculation.
Mission optimization and security of supply
The individual optimization of the use of all power plants in a supply area on the market does not automatically ensure that the load in the supply area can be covered at all times. Every hour or quarter of an hour, the market should ensure that the price rises so high that either the load is covered or no further power plant is available that can help cover the load. Over a longer period of time, however, it can be the case that power plants that are required to cover the load at peak times achieve too few hours of use to cover the fixed costs associated with keeping the power plant operational.
Furthermore, the energy market only generates a nationwide or national price level. The price level that arises thus only guarantees that the same amount of electricity was generated at the national level as is required. B. can be transported from the wind turbines on the North Sea coast to the consumption centers in southern Germany. Network bottlenecks can prevent this.
In order to ensure security of supply at all times, some mechanisms and market interventions have been established, others are still under political discussion. The redispatch of the transmission system operator is one of the already established market interventions for the management of network congestion . The capacity market and the capacity reserve to ensure the power reserve for peak loads is still the subject of political discussion .
Operation optimization and power plant investments
Since the power plant achieves its results through the marketing of a market-optimized operating mode, corresponding optimization calculations are also made as part of investment decisions. Since power plants are amortized over a very long period (up to 20 years), the corresponding market prices for this period must also be forecast. This is often done using so-called fundamental models, which take into account the effect of the feed-in of renewable energies on prices.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolter, Horst (SOPTIM AG, Aachen, Germany): Interaction between portfolio management and power plant deployment optimization . VDE Verlag, Mannheim, Germany.
- ↑ Optimizing the use of CHP systems. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 23, 2016 ; accessed on August 20, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Marianne Diem: Kraftwerkvermarktung & Dispatch. Retrieved August 31, 2016 .
- ↑ RWE moths a state-of-the-art gas power plant in Holland. Retrieved August 22, 2016 .
- ↑ Controversy over the energy network: Southern Germany must fear higher electricity prices. Retrieved August 22, 2016 .
- ↑ Market design of the capacity market. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 1, 2016 ; accessed on August 31, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Dr. Jörg Borchert, Marc Hasenbeck: Evaluation and control of power plant disks . Retrieved August 31, 2016 .
- ↑ Fundamental model. Retrieved August 31, 2016 .
