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U.S. Department of Energy
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Electric utility models for acid rain policy analysis

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:6057507
To curb acid rain in the US, proposals have been put forward, many of which require that the electric utilities reduce their SO2 emissions. Existing models for long term utility planning ignore emissions and thus, are unsuitable for acid-rain policy analysis. In this thesis, models are developed to analyze and evaluate the impact of acid rain policies on the operations and planning functions of the utilities. These models utilize optimization techniques to predict the best operating and planning policies for utilities to adopt under various SO2 reduction proposals. The models can be utilized for either short or long-term studies, depending on the proposal being considered. Their use is illustrated for a representative region in the US. The issue of including uncertainties in utility planning is briefly addressed. To achieve this end, a hybrid technique is developed that combines chance-constrained programming and fuzzy decision-making theory. All the work reported here has a close connection to the AUSM (Advanced Utility Simulation Model), a major modeling effort sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency. All the models are designed to be portable and meet stringent size and execution time requirements.
Research Organization:
Carnegie-Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6057507
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English