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A method and apparatus for operating a production system that includes a plurality of production facilities is provided. The method includes receiving, in real-time, for each facility, cost data for a first resource used by each respective facility to produce an output, receiving, in real-time, for

A method and apparatus for operating a production system that includes a plurality of production facilities is provided. The method includes receiving, in real-time, for each facility, cost data for a first resource used by each respective facility to produce an output, receiving, in real-time, for each facility, cost data for a second resource used by each respective facility to produce the output, determining, in real-time; an automated incremental cost curve for the system based on a level of production of each facility and the received resource cost data, and determining a production output target for each production facility to achieve an optimum production system output based on the real-time incremental cost curves. The system includes at least one production facility that includes a software code segment programmed to determine, in real-time, an incremental cost of a first resource based on a level of production of each respective facility.

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What is claimed is: 1. A method for operating a production system that includes a plurality of production facilities, said method comprising: continuously receiving, without perceived delay, for each facility, cost data for a first resource used by each respective facility to produce an output; con

What is claimed is: 1. A method for operating a production system that includes a plurality of production facilities, said method comprising: continuously receiving, without perceived delay, for each facility, cost data for a first resource used by each respective facility to produce an output; continuously receiving, without perceived delay, for each facility, cost data for a second resource used by each respective facility to produce the output; continuously determining, without perceived delay, an automated incremental cost curve for the system based on a level of production of each facility and the received resource cost data; and determining a production output target for each production facility to achieve an optimum production system output based on the continuously determined incremental cost curves. 2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising receiving a first resource at each facility at a rate that is substantially equal to a rate the resource is used at the respective facility. 3. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising storing an amount of the first resource at the facility in excess of an amount of the first resource used at the respective facility. 4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein receiving cost data for a first resource comprises receiving at least one of fuel quality data, fuel transport costs, and fuel handling costs from each respective facility. 5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein receiving at least one of fuel quality data comprises receiving at least one of fuel heat content, pollutant content, and byproduct content from each respective facility. 6. A method in accordance with claim 4 further comprising determining a production facility output capability based on fuel quality of fuel supplied to each respective facility. 7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein determining a production facility output capability comprises determining a fuel system transit time for each respective facility. 8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein determining a fuel system transit time comprises determining at least one of a blending time, a pipeline transit time, and a bunker transit time for each respective facility. 9. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein receiving cost data for a second resource comprises receiving at least one of a facility heat rate, a facility auxiliary load, a production equipment availability, a time period required to make production equipment available, a cost to make production equipment available, and production system fixed and variable costs attributable to each respective facility. 10. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein receiving a facility heat rate comprises receiving a facility heat rate from an online distributed control system (DCS) at each respective facility. 11. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising predicting a future output capability of a facility based on at least one of a facility ramp rate, a time period required to make production equipment available and a fuel system transit time. 12. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising determining a facility output capability based on an amount of fuel stored at the facility and at least one of a current fuel usage rate of the facility and a second fuel usage rate wherein the second usage rate is different than the current usage rate. 13. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein determining, in real-time; an automated incremental cost curve further comprises determining, in real-time, the incremental cost of production system operations as a function of load for each facility within a utility system. 14. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising determining a fuel heating value in real time wherein the fuel heating value includes the mass-averaged heating value for the fuel entering the boiler for each respective facility. 15. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising continuously determining a fuel cost in wherein fuel cost is a mass-averaged cost for the fuel entering the boiler for each respective facility. 16. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising determining a facility heat rate curve wherein real-time heat rate at any load is based on detailed on-line heat rate data. 17. A production system for producing an output comprising: at least one production facility comprising a first resource receiving system, and a second resource configured to control and utilize said first resource in a production process; and a computer system programmed to continuously determine, without perceived delay, an incremental cost of said first resource at each respective facility based on a level of production of said facility. 18. A production system in accordance with claim 17 wherein said software code segment comprises an event manager programmed to exchange data with at least one of an SQL server, a solver module, a fuel tracking module, a plant object module, a blend advisor module, and a broker module. 19. A production system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said broker module is programmed to exchange data with at least one of an optimizer module, an advisor module, a heat rate and generation cost module and a reporter module. 20. A production system in accordance with claim 18 further comprising a GUI agent communicatively coupled to at least one of the optimizer module, the advisor module,, the heat rate and generation cost module and the reporter module. 21. A production system in accordance with claim 20 wherein said reporter module is communicatively coupled to a network and programmed to upload reporter module output to a server. 22. A production system in accordance with claim 20 wherein said GUI agent is communicatively coupled to a remote client through a secure HTTP tunnel using extended network management protocol (ENMP). 23. A software code segment for controlling a computer to continuously determine, without perceived delay, an incremental cost of operating a plurality of production facilities based on a first resource input to each respective facility and a second resource utilization of the first resource at each respective facility, said incremental cost based on a level of production of each said respective facility, said segment including: a fuel tracking module programmed for continually tracking, without perceived delay, at least one of fuel cost, fuel flow, and fuel quality for each respective facility; a process component tracking module for modeling facility components to continuously generate, without perceived delay, heat rate curves for each respective facility; and a dispatch decision module programmed to receive inputs from at least one of said fuel tracking module, said process component tracking module, and said dispatch decision module configured to continuously generate, without perceived delay, system dispatch cost curves. 24. A software code segment in accordance with claim 23 wherein said dispatch decision module is further configured to receive data from a facility economics database. 25. A software code segment in accordance with claim 24 wherein said facility economics database includes at least one of fuel type data, fuel property data, and fuel cost data. 26. A software code segment in accordance with claim 23 wherein said dispatch decision module is further configured to receive data from a user input module. 27. A software code segment in accordance with claim 26 wherein said user input module includes unit specific data, emission cost factors, and fixed and variable costs attributable to each respective facility. 28. A software code segment in accordance with claim 23 programmed to generate dispatch commands for an automatic generation control (AGC) system at each respective facility. 29. A software code segment in accordance with claim 23 programmed to generate dispatch recommendations for each respective facility that facilitates optimizing the overall heat rate for said plurality of production facilities. 30. A software code segment in accordance with claim 23 programmed to generate dispatch recommendations for each facility that facilitates optimizing responding to a breakdown at least one of said plurality of production facilities.