Title of the project: SYSTEM TO DETERMINE AND TO ASSESS THE OPTIMAL OPERATION STRATEGY OF THE PUERTOLLANO IGCC PLANT.

Reference: FEDER/CICYT 1FD97-0545.

Financing: European Union, CICYT.

Participants: University of Castilla – La Mancha, ELCOGAS.

Duration: 01/99 - 12/01.

Principal Investigator: A. J. Conejo.

Researchers: A. J. Conejo, J. M. Arroyo, J. Contreras, S. de la Torre.

Summary: The project addressed in this proposal consists of the development of an operation tool to allow ELCOGAS to select the most suitable operating strategy in the context of the new power market derived from the new regulation of the Sistema Eléctrico Nacional. The analysis of historic data shall allow for assessment of already implemented strategies that could be reformulated or corrected.The Puertollano IGCC power plant is a 335 MW (ISO) power plant which has been built by ELCOGAS with funding of the European Commission in the THERMIE program, in order to demonstrate the viability of some new technologies whose main advantages are their higher energy efficiency, lower pollution and use of low grade fuels, such as local coal and petroleum coke.This project is included in a joint UCLM-ELCOGAS program of research and development activities whose objective is the plant of Puertollano.

Title of the project: TOOLS TO ASSIST THE OPERATOR OF AN ELECTRIC ENERGY SYSTEM.

Reference: FEDER/CICYT 1FD97-0191.

Financing: European Union, CICYT.

Duration: 01/99 - 12/01.

Principal Investigator: V. Feliu.

Researchers: V. Feliu, A. J. Conejo, J. M. Arroyo, N. Alguacil.

Title of the project: NEW PRICE AND RESIDUAL DEMAND PREDICTION METHODS IN DAILY ELECTRICITY MARKETS.

Reference: FEDER/CICYT 1FD97-1598.

Financing: European Union, CICYT.

Participants: University of Castilla - La Mancha, IBERDROLA.

Duration: 01/00 - 12/01.

Principal Investigator: A. J. Conejo.

Researchers: A. J. Conejo, J. Contreras, J. M. Arroyo, R. Espínola.

Summary: The transition from a regulated production model to a competitive framework has brought up a new electricity market in Spain since January 1st 1998. In this market, the price of electricity is determined by means of an auction where producers offer their energy bids and consumers their buying bids, respectively. From a generator standpoint, price and residual demand predictions are crucial when optimizing the bids presented to the market. The prososal that is presented addresses the implementation of a software tool to predict spot prices and residual demands in the Spanish electricity market. Time series analysis is used at the beginning of the project, to be gradually enriched with relevant explanatory variables that refine the results. Later, new prediction methods based on neural networks and fuzzy logic are compared with the results obtained by time series analysis. Finally, the observed bidding rules inferred from spot prices are used in a bidding strategy framework within a market simulator.