Optimizing the Reservoir Operation for Hydropower Generation by Using the Flexibility Index to Consider Inflow Uncertainty
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 147, Issue 8
Abstract
Optimal operation under uncertainty is a classical, albeit challenging, issue in reservoir operation. This study focused on the flexibility to tackle the inflow uncertainty of reservoir operation. Using the flexibility index, the inflow can be described as an adjustable interval range rather than a probability distribution, and all constraints should be satisfied within this interval. The flexible operation (FO) model is proposed by considering the flexibility index and hydropower generation simultaneously. If reservoir levels at starting and ending are fixed, the optimal hydropower output first increases and then decreases as the inflow increases. Consequently, the FO model can be solved by inputting either upper or lower boundary inflows. China’s Three Gorges Reservoir was considered as a case study. The results revealed that a trade-off between hydropower generation and the flexibility index exists. The reservoir water levels were lowered in the nonflood seasons to improve flexibility. The FO model can tackle uncertainty effectively, although it is slightly conservative in terms of hydropower generation. The proposed flexible method can be helpful in reservoir operation under uncertainty.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (all simulation data, models, and code).
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1865201), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51861125102), and Innovation Team in Key Field of the Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2018RA4014). The authors thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which helped significantly in improving the quality of the paper.
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 8 • August 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 10, 2020
Accepted: Mar 3, 2021
Published online: May 26, 2021
Published in print: Aug 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Oct 26, 2021
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