Today’s need-to-know optimization techniques, at your fingertips

The use of optimization methods is familiar territory to academicians and researchers. Yet, in today’s world of deregulated electricity markets, it’s just as important for electric power professionals to have a solid grasp of these increasingly relied upon techniques.

Making those techniques readily accessible is the hallmark of Optimization Principles: Practical Applications to the Operation and Markets of the Electric Power Industry.

With deregulation, market rules and economic principles dictate that commodities be priced at the marginal value of their production. As a result, it’s necessary to work with ever-more-sophisticated algorithms using optimization techniques–either for the optimal dispatch of the system itself, or for pricing commodities and the settlement of markets. Succeeding in this new environment takes a good understanding of methods that involve linear and nonlinear optimization, including optimal power flow, locational marginal prices for energy, and the auction of hedging instruments.

In its comprehensive, skill-building overview of optimization techniques, Optimization Principles puts you on the same footing with algorithm-savvy software developers. Starting with a helpful look at matrix algebra fundamentals, this just-in-time reference covers:

• Deregulated electricity markets: terminology and acronyms
• Solution of equations, inequalities, and linear programs
• Unconstrained and constrained nonlinear optimization
• Applications to practical problems addressing system dispatch, market design, and material procurement
• And related topics

As an aid to the uninitiated, appendices provide a brief description of basic principles of electricity, and the development of network equations.

Optimization Principles allows you to learn optimization methods at your own pace using Microsoft Excel or MATLAB software, and it includes an FTP web site with downloadable Excel spreadsheets and problems. After mastering these practical applications, you can then refer to chapters that highlight the theoretical background of the algorithms and resulting solutions. The book also includes a Web site with downloadable files of all example problems and solved problems.

Ideal for engineers, other electric power professionals, and advanced engineering students, Optimization Principles demystifies the electric power industry under deregulation–and delivers a complete, learn-as-you-go tutorial of optimization techniques that no other resource can match.

"...an important contribution to the field of power system analysis...should provide the reader with a pleasant learning experience." (IEEE Power & Energy Magazine, November/December 2005)

Today’s need-to-know optimization techniques, at your fingertips

The use of optimization methods is familiar territory to academicians and researchers. Yet, in today’s world of deregulated electricity markets, it’s just as important for electric power professionals to have a solid grasp of these increasingly relied upon techniques.

Making those techniques readily accessible is the hallmark of Optimization Principles: Practical Applications to the Operation and Markets of the Electric Power Industry.

With deregulation, market rules and economic principles dictate that commodities be priced at the marginal value of their production. As a result, it’s necessary to work with ever-more-sophisticated algorithms using optimization techniques–either for the optimal dispatch of the system itself, or for pricing commodities and the settlement of markets. Succeeding in this new environment takes a good understanding of methods that involve linear and nonlinear optimization, including optimal power flow, locational marginal prices for energy, and the auction of hedging instruments.

In its comprehensive, skill-building overview of optimization techniques, Optimization Principles puts you on the same footing with algorithm-savvy software developers. Starting with a helpful look at matrix algebra fundamentals, this just-in-time reference covers:

• Deregulated electricity markets: terminology and acronyms
• Solution of equations, inequalities, and linear programs
• Unconstrained and constrained nonlinear optimization
• Applications to practical problems addressing system dispatch, market design, and material procurement
• And related topics

As an aid to the uninitiated, appendices provide a brief description of basic principles of electricity, and the development of network equations.

Optimization Principles allows you to learn optimization methods at your own pace using Microsoft Excel or MATLAB software, and it includes an FTP web site with downloadable Excel spreadsheets and problems. After mastering these practical applications, you can then refer to chapters that highlight the theoretical background of the algorithms and resulting solutions. The book also includes a Web site with downloadable files of all example problems and solved problems.

Ideal for engineers, other electric power professionals, and advanced engineering students, Optimization Principles demystifies the electric power industry under deregulation–and delivers a complete, learn-as-you-go tutorial of optimization techniques that no other resource can match.

With the advent of deregulation of the electric power industry, understanding optimal power flow, locational marginal prices, and the auction of hedging instruments is an absolute necessity. "Optimization Principles provides readers with a complete education of the practical applications of algorithms using Microsoft Excel solver. The book is designed to allow readers to first study and understand practical applications, and then go back and review the chapters covering substantial theoretical background.

NARAYAN S. RAU, PhD, works as a principal engineer of power supply planning at ISO New England (formerly New England Power Pool).

Preface.

1. Introduction.

PART I: MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND.

2. Fundamentals of Matrix Algebra.

PART II: LINEAR OPTIMIZATION.

3. Solution of Equations, Inequalities, and Linear Programs.

4. Solved Linear Program Problems.

PART III: NONLINEAR OPTIMIZATION.

5. Mathematical Background to Nonlinear Programs.

6. Unconstrained Nonlinear Optimization.

7. Constrained Nonlinear Optimization.

8. Solved Nonlinear Optimization Problems.

Appendix A: Basic Principles of Electricity.

Appendix B: Network Equations.

Appendix C: Relation Between Pseudo-Inverse and Least-Square Error Fit.

Bibliography.

Index.

About the Author.