Intelligent Microgrids

Center for Electromechanic

Energy Management

Forecasts point to a huge increase in energy demand over the next 25 years, with a direct and immediate impact on the exhaustion of fossil fuels, the increase in pollution levels and the global warming that will have significant consequences for all sectors of society. Irrespective of the likelihood of these predictions or what researchers in different scientific disciplines may believe or publicly say about how critical the energy situation may be on a world level, it is without doubt one of the great debates that has stirred up public interest in modern times. We should probably already be thinking about the design of a worldwide strategic plan for energy management across the planet. It would include measures to raise awareness, educate the different actors involved, develop policies, provide resources, prioritise actions and establish contingency plans. This process is complex and depends on political, social, economic and technological factors that are hard to take into account simultaneously. Then, before such a plan is formulated, studies such as those described in this book can serve to illustrate what Information and Communication Technologies have to offer in this sphere and, with luck, to create a reference to encourage investigators in the pursuit of new and better solutions

Integrating renewable energy resources into the smart grid: recent developments in information and communication technologies

Rising energy costs, losses in the present-day electricity grid, risks from nuclear power generation, and global environmental changes are motivating a transformation of the conventional ways of generating electricity. Globally, there is a desire to rely more on renewable energy resources (RERs) for electricity generation. RERs reduce green house gas emissions and may have economic benefits, e.g., through applying demand side management with dynamic pricing so as to shift loads from fossil fuel-based generators to RERs. The electricity grid is presently evolving towards an intelligent grid, the so-called smart grid (SG). One of the major goals of the future SG is to move towards 100% electricity generation from RERs, i.e., towards a 100% renewable grid. However, the disparate, intermittent, and typically widely geographically distributed nature of RERs complicates the integration of RERs into the SG. Moreover, individual RERs have generally lower capacity than conventional fossil-fuel plants, and these RERs are based on a wide spectrum of different technologies. In this article, we give an overview of recent efforts that aim to integrate RERs into the SG. We outline the integration of RERs into the SG along with their supporting communication networks. We also discuss ongoing projects that seek to integrate RERs into the SG around the globe. Finally, we outline future research directions on integrating RERs into the SG

Control of Energy Storage

Energy storage can provide numerous beneficial services and cost savings within the electricity grid, especially when facing future challenges like renewable and electric vehicle (EV) integration. Public bodies, private companies and individuals are deploying storage facilities for several purposes, including arbitrage, grid support, renewable generation, and demand-side management. Storage deployment can therefore yield benefits like reduced frequency fluctuation, better asset utilisation and more predictable power profiles. Such uses of energy storage can reduce the cost of energy, reduce the strain on the grid, reduce the environmental impact of energy use, and prepare the network for future challenges. This Special Issue of Energies explore the latest developments in the control of energy storage in support of the wider energy network, and focus on the control of storage rather than the storage technology itself

Modelling of an Intelligent Microgrid System in a Smart Grid Network

To achieve the goal of decarbonising the electric grid by 2050 and empowering energy citizen, this research focuses on the development of Microgrid (μGrid) systems in Irish environment. As part of the research work, an energy efficient and cost effective solution for μGrid, termed Community-μGrid (C-μGrid) is proposed. Here the users can modify their micro-Generation (μGen) converters to facilitate a single inverter in a C-μGrid structure. The new system could allow: (i) technological advantage of improved Power Quality (PQ); (ii) economic advantage of reduced cost of energy (COE) to achieve sustainability. Analysis of scenarios of C-μGrid (AC) systems is performed for a virtual community in Dublin, Ireland. It consists of (10 to 50) similar type of residential houses and assumes that each house has a wind-based μGen system. It is found that, compared to individual off-grid μGen systems, an off-grid C-μGrid can reduce upto 35% of energy storage capacity. Thus it helps to reduce the COE from €0.22/kWh to 0.16/kWh. In grid connected mode, it can sell excess energy to the grid and thus COE further decreases to €0.11/kWh. Thus a cost-effective C-μGrid is achieved. The proposed system can advance its energy management efficiency through implementation of Demand Side Management (DSM) technique. For the test case, 50% of energy storage capacity could be avoided through DSM technique. It also helps to further decrease the COE by 25%. The C-μGrid system with storage is optimised by implementing the Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) approach operating at the pricing level. Emphasis is given to the operational constraints related to the battery lifetime, so that the maintenance and replacement cost would be reduced. This technique could help to improve the battery performance with optimised storage and also reduces the COE of the system by 25%

Smart Metering Technology and Services

Global energy context has become more and more complex in the last decades; the raising prices of fuels together with economic crisis, new international environmental and energy policies that are forcing companies. Nowadays, as we approach the problem of global warming and climate changes, smart metering technology has an effective use and is crucial for reaching the 2020 energy efficiency and renewable energy targets as a future for smart grids. The environmental targets are modifying the shape of the electricity sectors in the next century. The smart technologies and demand side management are the key features of the future of the electricity sectors. The target challenges are coupling the innovative smart metering services with the smart meters technologies, and the consumers' behaviour should interact with new technologies and polices. The book looks for the future of the electricity demand and the challenges posed by climate changes by using the smart meters technologies and smart meters services. The book is written by leaders from academia and industry experts who are handling the smart meters technologies, infrastructure, protocols, economics, policies and regulations. It provides a promising aspect of the future of the electricity demand. This book is intended for academics and engineers who are working in universities, research institutes, utilities and industry sectors wishing to enhance their idea and get new information about the smart meters