Optimal Power Dispatch of Small-Scale Standalone Microgrid Located in Colombian Territory

Andrés Henao-Muñoz,Carlos Ramos-Paja,Andrés Saavedra-Montes

doi:10.3390/en11071877

Abstract

An optimal power dispatch of a small-scale standalone microgrid for remote area power supply in Colombian territory is proposed in this paper. The power dispatch is generated by an energy management system based on a mixed-integer linear programming, which minimizes the cost of operating the microgrid while fulfilling the technical constraints of its elements. The energy management system solves an optimization problem using the algebraic representation of the generators and its constraints. Basic steady-state models of the generators are selected to solve the optimization problem. The small-scale microgrid is considered for a remote area power supply in Taroa, a small settlement in La Guajira, Colombia. The microgrid is composed of photovoltaic modules, a wind generator, a diesel generator, a battery bank, and residential loads. To validate the solution, the elements of the microgrids are parameterized with information from commercial equipment. Moreover, the power dispatch obtained with the proposed solution is compared with a power dispatch generated by a heuristic algorithm, which has been previously used to dispatch power in a small-scale standalone microgrid. Results show that the cost of operating the microgrid is minimized using the proposed optimization approach: a reduction of the operating cost equal to 25.5% of the cost imposed by the heuristic algorithm is obtained.

Highlights

In Colombia, there are currently 2.5 million people without access to electrical energy, and those people are located in rural areas far from the interconnected power system [1]
In a wide revision of the potential application of rural microgrids in Colombia, the authors of [3] highlight that government should be focus on training, research and implementation of microgrids to allow their deployment in the country
The optimal power dispatch is developed by an energy management systems (EMS), which is considered as a centralized controller that dispatches the available power of the generators in the microgrid to minimize the operating cost

Summary

Introduction

In Colombia, there are currently 2.5 million people without access to electrical energy, and those people are located in rural areas far from the interconnected power system [1]. The high cost of the infrastructure needed to provide electric power to those areas, the low payment capacity of the people living in remote areas, and the low population density have limited the Colombian government institutions’ ability to cover the basic needs for those inhabitants. The geographical location of Colombia provides renewable resources that can be used to produce electricity. The concept of small-scale standalone microgrids for remote area power supply (RAPS) could be a solution to provide electricity to people living in those areas [2]. Some efforts have been made by the Colombian The methodology covers the selection of generators and feeders, and it includes power electric analysis carried out in the Power

Methods

Results

Conclusion