Optimal Control of Two-Dam Hydro Facility

Abstract

This paper investigates optimal control strategies for the operations of a hydroelectric facility comprising two dams linked in series with a common reservoir receiving the outflow from the first dam and supplying the inflow to the second dam. We obtain some interesting insights about the behavior of these plants and compare the similarities and differences of the optimal pump-wait-release cycle between two-dam control and an otherwise similar one-dam control. In particular, we show that the electricity price plays a more important role in the control of two-dam systems than for a single dam.