Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Dispatch Engine for Hybrid Renewable Power Stations

Planning for unprecedented times has been a hassle for all power companies since a long time. In addition, this has been pinpointed lately as emerging topic particularly with pandemics and the relevant changes in power consumption due to successive lockdowns and openings. In recent times, hybrid power plants consisting of multiple renewable energy sources along with energy storage systems (ESS) and fossil-based generation are proposed to form a reliable and dispatchable power generating station. The planning required for the operation of such power plants to provide dispatchable power during adverse operating conditions is a challenge. This work aims to create a machine learning-based 'Dispatch Engine' for planning and operation of hybrid power plants considering different operating scenarios including unprecedented times. The developed dispatch engine will provide schedules for operation for longer time intervals and also monitor and re-schedule the operation in real-time to maintain the committed power output and provide ancillary services as per utility requirement. The primary objective of this engine will be to maximize the usage of renewables and also increase the overall profit of the plant.