Abstract
The increasing use of intermittent, renewable energy sources (RESs) for electricity generation in microgrids (MGs) requires efficient strategies for reliable and economic operation. Complementarity between RESs provides good prospects for integrating several local energy sources and reducing the costs of MG setup and operations. This paper presents a framework for maximizing the economic benefits of a grid-tied MG by exploiting the spatial and temporal complementarity between solar and wind energies (solar-wind complementarity). The proposed framework considers the cost of energy production from different RESs and the cost of bi-directional energy exchange with the main grid. For a given RES mix, a minimum system power loss (SPL) threshold can also be determined. However, at this SPL threshold, MG energy exchange cost is not always minimized. The framework determines the optimized SPL value (above the threshold) at which MG energy exchange cost gets minimized. Through this framework, MG operator can decide appropriate RES mix and can achieve various tradeoffs according to the energy production cost, solar-wind complementarity of the site and its required economic objectives.
Highlights
Traditional power systems are witnessing significant changes due to ever increasing penetration of distributed renewable energy sources (RESs) [1]
This paper proposes the use of the complementary characteristic of RESs to achieve an economic and reliable operation of a microgrid
To locate regions where solar and wind exhibit substantial complementary behavior, meteorological data of different regions are gathered and complementarity value at each location is determined. Another significant aspect of maximizing the economic benefits is the RES mix that considerably affects the costs of energy production and energy exchange costs
Summary
Traditional power systems are witnessing significant changes due to ever increasing penetration of distributed renewable energy sources (RESs) [1]. This problem is challenging because RES mix depends on the solar-wind complementarity at MG location and on the cost of energy production from different RES. In addition to system power losses (SPL), energy export cost (from MG to grid), energy import cost (from grid to MG), and energy exchange costs depend on the RES mix To this end, a unified framework was developed, which allows the MG operator to take all the relevant factors into account in order to maximize the economic benefits of a grid-tied MG. RES mix turns out to be different according to solar-wind complementarity of the site, energy production costs and energy import and export cost variations. MG operator can use this unified framework to maximize its economic benefits by deciding appropriate RES mix, which minimizes the energy exchange costs as well as the energy production costs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
