Control Scheme for Multi-Energy Microgrids with Power, Heating, Cooling, and Hydrogen Vectors

Abstract

This paper provides a dynamic control for a multi-energy microgrid (MEMG) comprising heating, cooling, hydrogen, and renewable power vectors connected to a utility grid. A gas boiler is responsible for controlling the hot water thermal bus, whereas an electric boiler manages the hot water demand. An absorption chiller is employed in the cooling circuit to fulfill the cooling load. Furthermore, a battery and a hydrogen system comprising a fuel cell, electrolyzer, and hydrogen tank are considered as energy storage systems (ESSs) for the MEMG. The renewable power is provided through a PV power plant. A new energy management system based on operating states (state-based EMS) is designed to provide three different control scenarios: low temperature (LTM), normal temperature (NTM), and high temperature (HTM). The main target of the presented EMS is to adjust the thermal sources with the aim of avoiding the consumption of the local grid. A 4-hour simulation performed in MATLAB/Simulink, encompassing diverse scenarios, effectively validates the control response of the proposed MEMG. The results illustrated the applicability of this approach within the context of MEMGs.