A MPC Strategy for the Optimal Management of Microgrids Based on Evolutionary Optimization

In this paper, a novel model predictive control strategy, with a 24-h prediction horizon, is proposed to reduce the operational cost of microgrids. To overcome the complexity of the optimization problems arising from the operation of the microgrid at each step, an adaptive evolutionary strategy with a satisfactory trade-off between exploration and exploitation capabilities was added to the model predictive control. The proposed strategy was evaluated using a representative microgrid that includes a wind turbine, a photovoltaic plant, a microturbine, a diesel engine, and an energy storage system. The achieved results demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach, outperforming a global scheduling planner-based on a genetic algorithm by 14.2% in terms of operational cost. In addition, the proposed approach also better manages the use of the energy storage system.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad DPI2016-75294-C2-2-RUnión Europea (Programa Horizonte 2020) 76409

A review of optimal operation of microgrids

The term microgrid refers to small-scale power grid that can operate autonomously or in concurrence with the area’s main electrical grid. The intermittent characteristic of DGs which defies the power quality and voltage manifests the requirement for new planning and operation approaches for microgrids. Consequently, conventional optimization methods in new power systems have been critically biased all through the previous decade. One of the main technological and inexpensive tools in this regard is the optimal generation scheduling of microgrid. As a primary optimization tool in the planning and operation fields, optimal operation has an undeniable part in the power system. This paper reviews and evaluates the optimal operation approaches mostly related to microgrids. In this work, the foremost optimal generation scheduling approaches are compared in terms of their objective functions, techniques and constraints. To conclude, a few fundamental challenges occurring from the latest optimal generation scheduling techniques in microgrids are addressed

Energy management in microgrids with renewable energy sources: A literature review

Renewable energy sources have emerged as an alternative to meet the growing demand for energy, mitigate climate change, and contribute to sustainable development. The integration of these systems is carried out in a distributed manner via microgrid systems; this provides a set of technological solutions that allows information exchange between the consumers and the distributed generation centers, which implies that they need to be managed optimally. Energy management in microgrids is defined as an information and control system that provides the necessary functionality, which ensures that both the generation and distribution systems supply energy at minimal operational costs. This paper presents a literature review of energy management in microgrid systems using renewable energies, along with a comparative analysis of the different optimization objectives, constraints, solution approaches, and simulation tools applied to both the interconnected and isolated microgrids. To manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy, energy storage technology is considered to be an attractive option due to increased technological maturity, energy density, and capability of providing grid services such as frequency response. Finally, future directions on predictive modeling mainly for energy storage systems are also proposed

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

Optimization in microgrid design and energy management

The dissertation is composed of three papers, which cover microgrid systems performance characterization, optimal sizing for energy storage system and stochastic optimization of microgrid operation. In the first paper, a complete Photovoltaic-Vanadium Redox Battery (VRB) microgrid is characterized holistically. The analysis is based on a prototype system installation deployed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA. In the second paper, the optimal sizing of power and energy ratings for a VRB system in isolated and grid-connected microgrids is proposed. An analytical method is developed to solve the problem based on a per-day cost model in which the operating cost is obtained from optimal scheduling. The charge, discharge efficiencies, and operating characteristics of the VRB are considered in the problem. In the third paper, a novel battery operation cost model is proposed accounting for charge/discharge efficiencies as well as life cycles of the batteries. A probabilistic constrained approach is proposed to incorporate the uncertainties of renewable sources and load demands in microgrids into the UC and ED problems --Abstract, page iv

A Review of Energy Management of Renewable Multisources in Industrial Microgrids

This review aims to consolidate recent advancements in power control within microgrids and multi-microgrids. It specifically focuses on analyzing the comparative benefits of various architectures concerning energy sharing and demand cost management. The paper provides a comprehensive technical analysis of different architectures found in existing literature, which are designed for energy management and demand cost optimization. In summary, this review paper provides a thorough examination of power control in microgrids and multi-microgrids and compares different architectural approaches for energy management and demand cost optimization