Improved Optimal Operation Planning Method Based on Tabu Search for Residential PEFC-CGS Considering Ramping Rate

Abstract

This paper proposes an improved optimal operation planning method for residential PEFC-CGS (Polymer Electrolyte Fuel CellCo-Generation System). Residential PEFC-CGS has recently been gathering attention as one of the distributed power sources with high efficiency and low environmental impacts. Previous research pointed out that the output variations of PEFC adversely affect the durability. It can be surmised that smaller output variations will be desired to extend durability years. However, in this field, ramping rate have not been sufficiently considered. For local search and tabu search, ramping rate constraint makes our operation planning difficult because it restricts the search for feasible neighborhood solutions. Therefore, the authors proposed a method to deal with typical and harsher ramping rate constraints in comparison with conventional methods. There are two key points for the improvement. One is the reinforcement of the search along the output power axis; the other is to make use of the strategy of tabu search which avoids the local optimal solutions. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method in the daily operation planning. Furthermore, in the case using typical ramping rate parameter, it is confirmed that tabu search doesn’t contribute the reduction of daily operational cost due to the above stated restriction of the search area.