Linear Programming Based on Piece-Wise Linearization for Solving the Economic Load Dispatch Problem

This chapter discusses the application of linear programming (LP) techniques to find the optimal solution of the economic dispatch (ED) problem without considering transmission losses. The ED problem is concerned with optimizing the power generated by several generating units. The objective is to find the optimal power produced by each unit to supply the required load at minimum total cost. The generation cost associated with each unit is usually in the form of a quadratic or cubic function of the power produced. To apply LP, these nonlinear cost functions have to be linearized. The optimal solution is then determined by LP based on the approximate linear model. Piece-wise linearization methodology is adopted in this chapter. To evaluate the performance of the linearization method, a comprehensive set of benchmark test problems is used. LP solutions of linearized ED problems are compared with several other techniques from the literature. The LP technique with piece-wise linearization shows an overall competitive advantage in terms of total cost, solution time, and load satisfaction.