High level central plant optimization

A cascaded optimization system for a central plant configured to serve building energy loads, the cascaded optimization system comprising:

• a central plant controller configured to use dynamic programming to split an optimization problem for the central plant into a high level optimization and a low level optimization;
• a high level optimization module configured to perform the high level optimization, wherein the high level optimization comprises determining an optimal distribution of building energy loads over multiple groups of central plant equipment;
• and
• a low level optimization module configured to perform the low level optimization, wherein the low level optimization comprises determining optimal operating statuses for individual devices within each of the multiple groups of the central plant equipment.

A method for optimizing cost in a central plant configured to serve building energy loads, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a processing circuit of a central plant optimization system, load prediction data indicating building energy loads for a plurality of time steps in an optimization period and utility rate data indicating a price of one or more resources consumed by equipment of the central plant to serve the building energy loads at each of the plurality of time steps;
• generating, by a high level optimization module of the central plant optimization system, an objective function that expresses a total monetary cost of operating the central plant over the optimization period as a function of the utility rate data and an amount of the one or more resources consumed by the central plant equipment at each of the plurality of time steps;
• and
• optimizing, by the high level optimization module, the objective function over the optimization period subject to load equality constraints and capacity constraints on the central plant equipment to determine an optimal distribution of the building energy loads over multiple groups of the central plant equipment at each of the plurality of time steps.