Reserve-Constrained Unit Commitment Considering Adjustable-Speed Pumped-Storage Hydropower and Its Economic Effect in Korean Power System

Abstract

The Korean government has declared the goal of net-zero-carbon emissions with a focus on renewable energy expansion. However, a high proportion of baseload generators and an increasing proportion of variable renewable energy (VRE) may cause problems in the power system operation owing to the low cycling capability of baseload generators and variability of VRE. To maintain system reliability, the government is planning to construct pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) plants, which can provide flexibility to the system. This study evaluated the operating cost savings obtained by different types of PSH: the adjustable-speed PSH (AS-PSH) and fixed-speed PSH (FS-PSH), based on the duck-curve phenomenon and the increase in spinning reserve requirement. In this study, the reserve-constrained unit commitment was formulated using a mixed-integer-programming considering the operational characteristics of AS-PSH and conventional generators. To consider the duck-shaped net-load environment, the projected VRE output data were calculated through physical models of wind turbines and photovoltaic modules. The operating costs for the non-PSH, FS-PSH, and AS-PSH construction scenarios were KRW 43,129.38, 40,038.44, and 34,030.46, respectively. The main factor that derived this difference was determined to be the primary reserve of AS-PSH’s pumping mode.