Dynamic Economic–Environmental Dispatch with Generator Priority: A Machine Learning–Optimization Framework

The efficient management of power systems requires balancing electricity generation costs with associated environmental emissions under dynamically varying demand. This paper proposes a two-stage approach that combines machine learning (ML) with a metaheuristic optimization algorithm to address the dynamic economic–environmental load dispatch (DEELD) challenge. In the first stage, electricity consumption data are enriched with temporal features to capture demand patterns and enable accurate forecasting. In the second stage, the daily scheduling horizon is divided into multiple periods, and dispatch solutions are generated sequentially while enforcing ramp-rate constraints. To enhance operational realism, a priority-based generator scheduling mechanism is explicitly introduced, enforcing hierarchical unit commitment and reflecting practical dispatch policies. Rather than focusing on a single optimal solution, the proposed framework generates multiple feasible dispatch solutions and evaluates them using economic, environmental, and operational performance indicators. These solutions are then ranked according to predefined decision profiles, enabling system operators to select dispatch strategies that align with specific priorities. This transforms the dispatch process into a flexible decision-support tool capable of addressing diverse real-world requirements.