A novel strategy for real-time optimal scheduling of grid-tied microgrid considering load management and uncertainties

Abstract

This paper proposes an efficient bi-level energy management strategy (EMS) to optimize the operation cost of a grid-connected microgrid, considering the system operational constraints and uncertainties for renewable energy sources and load demand. The first level is optimal day-ahead scheduling based on two stages: the first stage is finding the optimal operating points of sources during the next day while the second one is controllable loads management. The second level of the proposed EMS is rescheduling and updating the set-points of sources in real-time according to the actual solar irradiance, wind speed, load, and grid tariff. In this paper, a novel real-time strategy is proposed to keep the economic operation during real-time under uncertainties. Also, a recent meta-heuristic algorithm called Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA) is used to solve the problem of day-ahead scheduling of batteries, which is a complex constrained non-linear optimization problem. Results obtained demonstrate that the HBA based bi-level EMS provides the real-time optimal economic operation of a grid tied microgrid under uncertainties in weather, utility tariff and load forecasts.