Optimal sizing design of an isolated microgrid using loss of power supply probability

Abstract

Before building a microgrid, it is interesting to think about its optimal sizing design. How much the number of PV panels, batteries, wind turbines, fuel cells … that must be chosen into the microgrid. The best selection and the effective coordination between the different resources into the microgrid are so important and represent a crucial and challenging task. In this paper a methodology is developed to optimize the sizing design of an isolated microgrid composed of batteries, load and PV panels. The proposed method is based on the system reliability and the low cost of building taking into account some constraints related to energy limits and the supply demand balance. The loss of power supply probability (LPSP) as a reliability index of a microgrid is computed for different combination of PV panels and batteries. The optimal sizing design corresponds to the configuration which compromises between the low cost and the reliability system. The simulation results of this method are presented in this paper to prove its effectiveness.