Patent ID: 7454270

Claim:
A method of dynamically managing the operations of generating units in an electrical power network, comprising the steps of: determining ramping constraints of each of a plurality of committed generating units in an electrical power network; receiving predetermined load predictions for a set of predetermined and consecutive time intervals; determining a fuel type to be used for generating an allocation of output power; selecting from a plurality of predetermined incremental heat rate curves associated with predetermined fuel types an incremental heat rate curve representative of the fuel type to be used for generating the allocation of output power; determining the allocation of output power for each of the plurality of generating units over the set of predetermined and consecutive time intervals and subject to the ramping constraints wherein the respective allocations are configured for minimizing the costs associated with each of the plurality of generating units when producing power according to the respective allocations of output power; and generating power dispatch instructions responsive to the allocation of output power to each of the plurality of generating units in the electrical power network.