A Three-Step Methodology to Improve Domestic Energy Efficiency

Increasing energy prices and the greenhouse effect lead to more awareness of energy efficiency of electricity supply. During the last years, a lot of technologies have been developed to improve this efficiency. Next to large scale technologies such as windturbine parks, domestic technologies are developed. These domestic technologies can be divided in 1) Distributed Generation (DG), 2) Energy Storage and 3) Demand Side Load Management. Control algorithms optimizing a combination of these techniques can raise the energy reduction potential of the individual techniques. In this paper an overview of current research is given and a general concept is deducted. Based on this concept, a three-step optimization methodology is proposed using 1) offline local prediction, 2) offline global planning and 3) online local scheduling. The paper ends with results of simulations and field tests showing that the methodology is promising.\u

Optimal operation of smart distribution systems

The energy industry all over the world is undergoing a transfor mational change, a shift which would define the way how the future of the industry would look like. The awareness towards global warming and the damage caused by conventional methods of generation has led to huge investments in the research and deployment of renewable energy technologies and their integration into the current system. The technological advancements made in different non - conventional sources of energy is really commendable and the rate at which the more mature technologies like solar PV, wind energy, etc. are being put in to application is extravagant. One of the major challenges, which the industry faces now is to integrate these energy resources in to the grid. Since the renewable resources of energy are dependent on factors like topography, location, weather etc., they are more physically distributed and have a tendency to be intermittent. Hence, the current grid facilities built according to the conventional sources of generation, are not capable of handling the uncertainty and intermittenc y in generation, hence not suitable for renewable energy sources, putting a constraint on the integration of such sources into the grid. Since the current grid facilities have been built over many years with huge investments, changing it completely in neit her possible physically or economically in the present day scenario. The concept of microgrids has hence been a great step towards introducing more renewable generation sources into the grid without having the need to change the utility grid. Microgrids ar e being adopted and implemented all across the world due to different reasons and benefits. While it is being used to provide basic rural electrification with the help of available resources like PV or biomass in developing countries, on the other hand, it is being used to have a resilient electric distribution in areas prone to natural calamities and disasters. Along with the technology, various new business models related to microgrid organization are also coming up, benefitting the customers economically and creating more business opportunitie

Energy Storage Systems for Energy Management of Renewables in Distributed Generation Systems

Distributed generation (DG) systems are the key for implementation of micro/smart grids of today, and energy storages are becoming an integral part of such systems. Advancement in technology now ensures power storage and delivery from few seconds to days/months. But an effective management of the distributed energy resources and its storage systems is essential to ensure efficient operation and long service life. This chapter presents the issues faced in integrating renewables in DG and the growing necessity of energy storages. Types of energy storage systems (ESSs) and their applications have also been detailed. A brief literature study on energy management of ESSs in distributed microgrids has also been included. This is followed by a simple case study to illustrate the need and effect of management of ESSs in distributed systems

Online energy management systems for microgrids: experimental validation and assessment framework

Microgrids are energy systems that can work independently from the main grid in a stable and self-sustainable way. They rely on energy management systems to schedule optimally the distributed energy resources. Conventionally, the main research in this field is focused on scheduling problems applicable for specific case studies rather than in generic architectures that can deal with the uncertainties of the renewable energy sources. This paper contributes a design and experimental validation of an adaptable energy management system implemented in an online scheme, as well as an evaluation framework for quantitatively assess the enhancement attained by different online energy management strategies. The proposed architecture allows the interaction of measurement, forecasting and optimization modules, in which a generic generation-side mathematical problem is modeled, aiming to minimize operating costs and load disconnections. The whole energy management system has been tested experimentally in a test bench under both grid-connected and islanded mode. Also, its performance has been proved considering severe mismatches in forecast generation and load. Several experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed EMS, assessed by the corresponding average gap with respect to a selected benchmark strategy and ideal boundaries of the best and worst known solutions.Postprint (author's final draft

Optimal operation of hybrid AC/DC microgrids under uncertainty of renewable energy resources : A comprehensive review

The hybrid AC/DC microgrids have become considerably popular as they are reliable, accessible and robust. They are utilized for solving environmental, economic, operational and power-related political issues. Having this increased necessity taken into consideration, this paper performs a comprehensive review of the fundamentals of hybrid AC/DC microgrids and describes their components. Mathematical models and valid comparisons among different renewable energy sources’ generations are discussed. Subsequently, various operational zones, control and optimization methods, power flow calculations in the presence of uncertainties related to renewable energy resources are reviewed.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed