Abstract
This paper addresses the global optimization of the short term scheduling for hydroelectric power generation. A tailored deterministic global optimization approach, denominated sHBB, is developed and its performance is analyzed. This approach is applied to the optimization of a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model for cascades of hydro plants, each one with multiple turbines, and characterized by a detailed representation of the net head of water, and a nonlinear hydropower generation function. A simplified model is also considered where only the linear coefficients of the forebay and tailrace polynomial functions are retained. For comparison purposes, four case studies are addressed with the proposed global optimization strategy and with a commercial solver for global optimization. The results show that the proposed approach is more efficient than the commercial solver in terms of finding a better solution with a smaller optimality gap, using less CPU time. The proposed method can also find alternative and potentially more profitable power production schedules. Significant insights were also obtained regarding the effectiveness of the proposed relaxation strategies.