System tools for evaluating operational and financial performance from dispatchers using after the fact analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9558250-B2
Application number	US-83001110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2010
Priority date	Jul 2, 2010
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A decision-support tool is provided to evaluate operational and financial performance for dispatchers in power grid control centers associated with utility systems. A scheduler engine is coupled to a comprehensive operating plan that applies after the fact analysis for performance metrics, root-cause impacts and process re-engineering. A relational database is coupled to a data archiver that captures actual system and resource conditions and then supplies the system and resource conditions to the relational database. The scheduler engine receives the actual system and resource conditions from the relational database and processes it to calculate system performance. A user interface is configured to display at least one of, transmission evaluation application displays, reference and scenario cases and associations between them, results presented with a graphical or tabular displays, comparison results between scenario cases and a reference case, a family of curves where each curve is a performance metric, comparison of scenario input data, study results and statistical analysis and historical data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions, comprising:
a plurality of scheduler engines having respective different look-ahead time periods and respective different time intervals for scheduling within the respective different look-ahead time periods to control generation of electrical power in a power grid, wherein the plurality of schedule engines are configured to generate respective schedules of dispatching of resources for the generation of electrical power in the power grid for the respective different look-ahead time periods and the respective different time intervals;
a decision support tool, coupled to the plurality of scheduler engines, configured to:
generate a comprehensive schedule from the respective schedules, wherein the comprehensive schedule comprises a plurality of time intervals for dispatching the resources for the generation of electrical power in the power grid;
execute the comprehensive schedule to dispatch the resources for the generation of electrical power in the power grid;
gather operational data from the execution of the comprehensive schedule;
perform an after-the-fact analysis of the operational data from the execution of the comprehensive schedule against at least one reference use-case scenario against respective actual costs of the execution of the comprehensive schedule over the plurality of time intervals, comprising for each reference use-case scenario:
simulate respective impact factors of a plurality of distinct impact factors in the reference use-case scenario for each time interval of the comprehensive schedule to identify impact factors that produce respective additional costs over a reference use-case scenario cost associated with the reference use-case scenario for the time interval that contributed to a difference between the reference use-case scenario cost and an actual cost of the execution of the comprehensive schedule during the time interval; and
display, on a display device, a graph comprising: a first curve representing the reference use-case scenario costs over the plurality of time intervals of the comprehensive schedule, a second curve representing the actual costs over the plurality of time intervals of the comprehensive schedule, and respective curves for each of the identified impact factors representing the respective additional costs over the plurality of time intervals of the comprehensive schedule, wherein one curve associated with an identified impact factor indicates an additional cost over the reference use-case scenario cost and each of other curves associated with identified impact factors indicate another additional cost over another distinct impact factor; and

update the comprehensive schedule based upon the after-the-fact analysis resulting in an updated comprehensive schedule; and

a general control application configured to control dispatch of the resources for the generation of electrical power in the power grid according to the updated comprehensive schedule.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a scheduler engine of the plurality of schedule engines employs at least one output from at least one other schedule engine of the plurality of scheduler engines respectively having longer look-ahead time periods than a look-ahead time period of the scheduler engine.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of scheduler engines are further configured to control the generation of the electrical power in the power grid from a renewable energy source, and generate the respective schedules based upon a prediction of availability of the renewable energy source.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the respective schedules are based on captured actual utility system and resource conditions.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the decision support tool is further configured to receive user input defining at least one impact factor for the at least one reference use-case scenario.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the impact factors comprise at least one of at least one load change, at least one regulation requirement change, at least one reserve requirement change, at least one resource limit change, at least one ramp rate change, at least one resource commitment status change, at least one resource minimum UP or Down time change, at least one security constraint change, at least one schedule transaction megawatt change, at least one schedule transaction megawatt price change, or at least one power grid topology change.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the decision support tool is further configured to perform the after-the-fact analysis using two stages comprising a first stage using a security constrained unit commitment and a second stage using a security constrained economic dispatch.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the decision support tool is further configured to enable the after-the-fact analysis to generate an actual dispatch including at least one of an actual load, a resource output, an actual unit regulation status and a corresponding regulation contribution, an actual resource reserve status and a corresponding reserve contribution, an actual unit commitment, or an actual network topology.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the decision support tool is further configured to determine a cost associated with the actual dispatch and compare the cost associated with the actual dispatch to a cost associated with a reference dispatch.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the user input comprises information representing multiple reference use-case scenarios.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the user input comprises information representing a selection of the at least one reference use-case scenario from a plurality of selectable reference use-case scenarios.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the second stage is based upon at least one output of the first stage.

13. A method, comprising:
generating, by a system including a processor, using a plurality of scheduler engines respectively having different look-ahead time periods and different time intervals for scheduling within the different look-ahead time periods, respective schedules for the generation of electrical power in a power grid for the different look-ahead periods and the different time intervals;
generating, by the system, a comprehensive schedule from the respective schedules, wherein the comprehensive schedule comprises a plurality of time intervals for dispatching the resources for the generation of electrical power in the power grid;
executing, by the system, the comprehensive schedule to dispatch the resources for the generation of electrical power in the power grid;
gathering, by the system, operational data from the execution of the comprehensive schedule; and
performing, by the system, an after-the-fact analysis of the operational data from the execution of the comprehensive schedule against at least one reference use-case scenario against respective actual costs of the execution of the comprehensive schedule over the plurality of time intervals, comprising for each reference use-case scenario:
simulating respective impact factors of a plurality of distinct impact factors in the reference use-case scenario for each time interval of the comprehensive schedule to identify impact factors that produce respective additional costs over a reference use-case scenario cost associated with the reference use-case scenario for the time interval that contributed to a difference between the reference use-case scenario cost and an actual cost of the execution of the comprehensive

Assignees

• Sun David
• Cheung Kwok
• Chiu But-Chung
• Wang Xing
• Xiao Ying
• Mok Kee
• Yao Mike
• Alstom Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Sun David
• Cheung Kwok
• Chiu But-Chung
• Wang Xing
• Xiao Ying
• Mok Kee
• Yao Mike

Classifications

• G06Q10/04

  Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) · CPC title

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06F16/25 Primary

  Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems · CPC title

• Y04S10/60

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y04S10/54

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic