Optimization of diverse energy sources using an extensive unit commitment program

The authors describe Florida Power and Light Company's experience with an extensive unit commitment program, operational since 1987. This program gives the system operator the capability to optimize, in a single run, unit commitment schedules, fossil fuels burned, and external power purchases, while accounting for area security and other operating constraints. It is concluded that this experience with the extensive unit commitment program over the past two years showed that the decision to upgrade the sequential combination unit commitment program was well founded. The program is very heavily used by the operators to obtain unit startup and shutdown schedules, external power purchases, and daily unit gas burns.<>