Energy Cost optimization in Two-Machine Bernoulli Serial Lines Under Time-of-Use Pricing

Energy cost optimization has gained more and more attentions. However, the energy cost optimization in serial production lines has been rarely focused. In this paper, we formulate an energy cost optimization problem in two-machine Bernoulli serial line under time-of-use pricing. First, we analyze structural characteristics of the problem and obtain a property of the optimal allocation of production rates to electricity periods with different pricing. Based on this property, the problem can be easily solved by comparing the energy cost of two allocations of the production rate. Finally, to further simplify the solution process, some sufficient conditions, which are described by the relationships of parameters of the electricity periods, are developed to directly identify the optimal allocation of the production rate.