Electricity demand is forecasted to double in 2035, and it is vital to address the economicsof electrical energy generation for planning purposes. This study aims to examine the applicability ofGravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) and the newly improved GSA (IGSA) for optimization of themixed-integer non-linear electricity generation expansion planning (GEP) problem. The performanceindex of GEP...

Planning for electricity generation systems is a very important task and should take environmental and economic factors into account. This paper reviews the existing metrics and methods in evaluating energy sustainability, and we propose a sustainability assessment index system. The input indexes include generation capacity, generation cost, and land use. The output indexes include desirable an...

In this paper we discuss the problem of power generation capacity adequacy in restructured and competitive power systems and analyse potential regulatory mechanisms to ensure sufficient supply of electricity. In particular, we look at how uncertainty influences the optimal timing of investments in new power generation capacity. We formulate the power generation investment problem for a decentra...

The feasibility, cost, and air quality impacts of using electrical grids to shift water use from drought-stricken regions to areas with more water availability were examined. Power plant cooling represents a large portion of freshwater withdrawals in the United States, and shifting where electricity generation occurs can allow the grid to act as a virtual water pipeline, increasing water availa...

The recent sharp drop in the cost of photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation accompanied by globally rapidly increasing investment in PV plants calls for new planning and management tools for large-scale distributed solar networks. Of major importance are methods to overcome intermittency of solar electricity, i.e., to provide dispatchable electricity at minimal costs. We find that pairs of el...

Approximately 2.4 million tons of bagasse are produced each year in Iran, most of which are currently treated as waste adding to serious environmental concerns. Application of bagasse for energy production is a sustainable solution to supply the required energy within the sugar refineries and export the surplus electricity to the grid. Currently, the energy demand in Iranian sugar mills is main...

This paper presents an application of computer simulation as a policy analysis tool for the electric utility industry. In the last decade, the amount of electricity generation capacity has remained constant while demand for electricity has been increasing. This situation puts industrial electricity users, those who use large highly varying quantities of electricity in potentially risky producti...

Currently, the electric industry is undergoing a complete transformation and restructuring due to the concurrent convergence of deregulation and the advent of Distributed Generation (DG). Some years ago, electricity was produced in some big power plants and a few vertically integrated electric utilities covered all the steps in the electricity supply: generation, transmission, distribution and ...