• hydrothermal dispatch
• multi-area
• optimization method
• power generation

Optimal hydrothermal power dispatch on a multi-area network is a large-scale non-linear problem. Its objective is to find the optimal generation schedule of hydro and thermal units in a multi-area system, over a given time period, while satisfying system constraints. Since the cost of power production is very high, its effective solution would be very helpful in saving a significant amount of money for power companies. The methods currently used in the literature may be divided into deterministic methods and heuristic ones. Both of them have some limitations: deterministic methods can converge on local minima; heuristic methods are usually slow in converging.
This dissertation presents an innovative method based on the direct solution of the multi-area hydrothermal power dispatch problem in the case of one hydro unit. The methodology is extended to the general case of several hydro units by an iterative procedure based on cascade applications of the direct solution. The method is suitable for radial interconnections of every size and complexity and it is a valid support for the power systems operation planning. A comparison with some numerical examples taken from the literature and an application to a real case (the Italian electricity network for the year 2011) have been provided.