Economic Dispatch for Natural Gas-Electricity Networks

WHO I AM: I hold a PhD in Quantitative Economics and Energy from Imperial College London.  I teach practical, real-world data science specifically for the energy sector.

REGULAR ENHANCEMENTS: This course is reviewed periodically with updates to reflect the modern energy market.

STUDENT BONUS: Note: Students who enroll in this course will receive access to the Energy Data Scientist community.

What You'll Learn:

• How to model coupled natural gas and electricity networks for integrated economic dispatch

• How to formulate optimization problems that capture interactions between gas and power systems

• How to implement gas network constraints including pipeline flow, pressure, and compressor operations

• How to model gas-fired power plants as coupling points between energy systems

• How to build integrated dispatch models in both Python and GAMS from scratch

• How to handle multi-energy system constraints and inter-dependencies

• How to solve and interpret optimization results for coupled infrastructure planning

• How to evaluate economic trade-offs between electricity and gas system operations

  
  

Perfect For:

• Energy system engineers working with multi-energy infrastructure

• Utility professionals managing both gas and electric operations

• Energy consultants analyzing sector coupling and integration strategies

• Infrastructure planners designing integrated energy systems

• Graduate students in energy systems engineering or operations research

• Energy economists studying multi-commodity energy markets

• System operators coordinating gas and electric networks

• Anyone working on integrated energy system optimization

Why This Matters:

Gas-fired power plants provide 40% of US electricity and serve as the critical link between natural gas and electricity networks. As renewables grow, gas plants become essential for flexibility, but optimizing their dispatch requires understanding both systems simultaneously. Poor coordination between gas and electric systems costs billions annually in inefficiencies and can cause cascading failures like the 2021 Texas crisis. The shift to hydrogen and power-to-gas technologies makes integrated modeling even more critical. Companies need professionals who can optimize across energy vectors, not just within silos. Whether planning infrastructure investments, managing real-time operations, or designing resilient energy systems, the ability to model coupled networks is becoming mandatory. These skills are essential for roles in system operations ($100,000-170,000), energy consulting ($110,000-190,000), and infrastructure planning ($95,000-160,000). Master the integrated optimization techniques used by TSOs, major utilities, and energy system planners worldwide.