Distributed MPC for coordinated energy efficiency utilization in microgrid systems

To improve the renewable energy utilization of distributed microgrid systems, this paper presents an optimal distributed model predictive control strategy to coordinate energy management among microgrid systems. In particular, through information exchange among systems, each microgrid in the network, which includes renewable generation, storage systems, and some controllable loads, can maintain its own systemwide supply and demand balance. With our mechanism, the closed-loop stability of the distributed microgrid systems can be guaranteed. In addition, we provide evaluation criteria of renewable energy utilization to validate our proposed method. Simulations show that the supply demand balance in each microgrid is achieved while, at the same time, the system operation cost is reduced, which demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed policy.Accepted manuscrip

A New Efficient Stochastic Energy Management Technique for Interconnected AC Microgrids

Cooperating interconnected microgrids with the Distribution System Operation (DSO) can lead to an improvement in terms of operation and reliability. This paper investigates the optimal operation and scheduling of interconnected microgrids highly penetrated by renewable energy resources (DERs). Moreover, an efficient stochastic framework based on the Unscented Transform (UT) method is proposed to model uncertainties associated with the hourly market price, hourly load demand and DERs output power. Prior to the energy management, a newly developed linearization technique is employed to linearize nodal equations extracted from the AC power flow. The proposed stochastic problem is formulated as a single-objective optimization problem minimizing the interconnected AC MGs cost function. In order to validate the proposed technique, a modified IEEE 69 bus network is studied as the test case

Distributed Energy Trading: The Multiple-Microgrid Case

In this paper, a distributed convex optimization framework is developed for energy trading between islanded microgrids. More specifically, the problem consists of several islanded microgrids that exchange energy flows by means of an arbitrary topology. Due to scalability issues and in order to safeguard local information on cost functions, a subgradient-based cost minimization algorithm is proposed that converges to the optimal solution in a practical number of iterations and with a limited communication overhead. Furthermore, this approach allows for a very intuitive economics interpretation that explains the algorithm iterations in terms of "supply--demand model" and "market clearing". Numerical results are given in terms of convergence rate of the algorithm and attained costs for different network topologies.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures; new version answering reviewers' comments; the paper is now accepted for publication in the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics; the paper is now publishe

Improving the Sustainability of Self-Consumption with Cooperative DC Microgrids

[EN] The development of microgrids is of great interest to facilitate the integration of distributed generation in electricity networks, improving the sustainability of energy production. Microgrids in DC (DC-MG) provide advantages for the use of some types of renewable generation and energy storage systems, such as batteries. In this article, a possible practical implementation of an isolated DC-MG for residential use with a cooperative operation of the different nodes is proposed. The main criterion is to achieve a very simple design with only primary control in a residential area. This application achieves a simple system, with low implementation costs, in which each user has autonomy but benefits from the support of the other users connected to the microgrid, which improves its reliability. The description of the elements necessary to create this cooperative system is one of the contributions of the work. Another important contribution is the analysis of the operation of the microgrid as a whole, where each node can be, arbitrarily, a consumer or an energy generator. The proposed structures could promote the use of small distributed generation and energy storage systems as the basis for a new paradigm of a more sustainable electricity grid of the future.This work has been partially supported by funds for research support of the Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaRoldán-Porta, C.; Roldán-Blay, C.; Escrivá-Escrivá, G.; Quiles Cucarella, E. (2019). Improving the Sustainability of Self-Consumption with Cooperative DC Microgrids. Sustainability. 11(19):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195472S1221119Justo, J. J., Mwasilu, F., Lee, J., & Jung, J.-W. (2013). AC-microgrids versus DC-microgrids with distributed energy resources: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 24, 387-405. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.03.067Farhangi, H. (2010). The path of the smart grid. 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A review of microgrid development in the United States – A decade of progress on policies, demonstrations, controls, and software tools

Microgrids have become increasingly popular in the United States. Supported by favorable federal and local policies, microgrid projects can provide greater energy stability and resilience within a project site or community. This paper reviews major federal, state, and utility-level policies driving microgrid development in the United States. Representative U.S. demonstration projects are selected and their technical characteristics and non-technical features are introduced. The paper discusses trends in the technology development of microgrid systems as well as microgrid control methods and interactions within the electricity market. Software tools for microgrid design, planning, and performance analysis are illustrated with each tool's core capability. Finally, the paper summarizes the successes and lessons learned during the recent expansion of the U.S. microgrid industry that may serve as a reference for other countries developing their own microgrid industries