Optimal Dispatching Rules for Peak Shaving of Cascaded Hydropower Stations in Response to Large-Scale New Energy Integration

Fully tapping into the load regulation capacity of cascade hydropower stations on a river, in coordination with wind and photovoltaic power stations, can effectively suppress power fluctuations in new energy and promote grid integration and the consumption of new energy. To derive the peak shaving dispatching rules for cascaded hydropower stations in provincial power systems with a high proportion of new energy integration, a short-term peak shaving dispatching model for cascaded hydropower stations was first established considering large-scale new energy consumption; secondly, based on statistical learning methods, the peak shaving and dispatching rules of cascade hydropower stations in response to large-scale new energy integration were derived. Finally, taking wind farms, photovoltaic power stations, and the Qingjiang cascade hydropower stations in the power grid of Hubei Province, China, as research objects, the compensation effect of Qingjiang cascade hydropower stations on new energy output and the peak shaving performance for the power grid load were verified. The research results indicate that cascade hydropower can effectively reduce the peak valley load difference in provincial power grids and improve the overall smoothness of power grid loads while suppressing fluctuations in new energy output. After peak regulation by cascade hydropower, the residual load fluctuation indices of the power grid are improved by more than 20% compared to those after the integration of new energy. The probabilistic dispatching decisions for the facing period’s output through the optimal dispatching rules of cascade hydropower stations can provide dispatchers with richer decision-making support information and have guiding significance for the actual peak shaving dispatch of cascade hydropower stations.