TY - JOUR
TI - Efficiency and cost modelling of thermal power plants
AU - Bihari Péter
AU - Gróf Gyula
AU - Gács Iván
JN - Thermal Science
PY - 2010
VL - 14
IS - 3
SP - 821
EP - 834
PT - Article
AB - The proper characterization of energy suppliers is one of the most important  components in the modelling of the supply/demand relations of the electricity  market. Power generation capacity i. e. power plants constitute the supply  side of the relation in the electricity market. The supply of power stations  develops as the power stations attempt to achieve the greatest profit  possible with the given prices and other limitations. The cost of operation  and the cost of load increment are thus the most important characteristics of  their behaviour on the market. In most electricity market models, however, it  is not taken into account that the efficiency of a power station also depends  on the level of the load, on the type and age of the power plant, and on  environmental considerations. The trade in electricity on the free market  cannot rely on models where these essential parameters are omitted. Such an  incomplete model could lead to a situation where a particular power station  would be run either only at its full capacity or else be entirely deactivated  depending on the prices prevailing on the free market. The reality is rather  that the marginal cost of power generation might also be described by a  function using the efficiency function. The derived marginal cost function  gives the supply curve of the power station. The load level dependent  efficiency function can be used not only for market modelling, but also for  determining the pollutant and CO2 emissions of the power station, as well as  shedding light on the conditions for successfully entering the market. Based  on the measurement data our paper presents mathematical models that might be  used for the determination of the load dependent efficiency functions of  coal, oil, or gas fuelled power stations (steam turbine, gas turbine,  combined cycle) and IC engine based combined heat and power stations. These  efficiency functions could also contribute to modelling market conditions and  determining the environmental impact of power stations.