Economic and Engineering Factors Affecting Generating Unit Size

In this paper we report the results of an extensive study on unit size for baseload coal-fired generating units conducted at the Electric Power Research Institute. The effect of economic and engineering factors which influence the determination of optimal unit size for generation expansion is studied. A nonlinear programming model is developed to study the interaction between unit characteristics and system characteristics. Numerical examples from this and other models are presented to highlight the influence of various factors. In addition, a computer simulation model of generation expansion is used to study the dynamic effect of various factors on unit size decisions.