A Computationally Efficient Mixed-Integer Linear Formulation for the Thermal Unit Commitment Problem

TLDR

The paper introduces a new mixed‑integer linear formulation for thermal unit commitment. The formulation models time‑dependent startup costs, ramping limits, and minimum up/down times, and is solved efficiently with a commercial MILP solver. The new formulation reduces binary variables and constraints, achieving significant computational savings confirmed by simulation results.

Abstract

This paper presents a new mixed-integer linear formulation for the unit commitment problem of thermal units. The formulation proposed requires fewer binary variables and constraints than previously reported models, yielding a significant computational saving. Furthermore, the modeling framework provided by the new formulation allows including a precise description of time-dependent startup costs and intertemporal constraints such as ramping limits and minimum up and down times. A commercially available mixed-integer linear programming algorithm has been applied to efficiently solve the unit commitment problem for practical large-scale cases. Simulation results back these conclusions