Market design for the simultaneous optimization of the Day-Ahead market and the reliability unit commitment applications

The design of restructured electricity markets requires a mechanism to ensure that differences between the bid-in demand that clears in the Day-Ahead Market (DAM) and the ISO´s demand forecast do not compromise reliability requirements. This mechanism is usually called Reliability (or Residual) Unit Commitment (RUC), and is deployed to procure additional resources, beyond the DAM energy schedules, to meet the demand forecast. In this paper, we present the theoretical foundation of the RUC process and key important considerations in implementing the RUC application. We also provide a description of the general sequential approach in which the DAM application is executed first and then the RUC process is completed. We then offer the design framework for the implementation of an integrated approach which combines the functionality of the DAM and the RUC into one market application. The integrated approach offers substantial efficiencies by procuring all DAM products simultaneously.