Dynamic Energy Management System for Optimal Energy Dispatch in a Microgrid Cluster

Abstract

Microgrid clusters (MGCs) have the ability to enhance energy efficiency, resilience, and reliability of individual microgrids (MGs). By integrating different power generation, consumption, and storage technologies, MGCs can combine direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) technologies, thus offering flexibility to MGs. However, suitable control systems for MGCs are required to manage their operation, ensuring robustness and efficiency of the power dispatch. This work contributes to this effort by presenting and implementing a novel control approach for an MGC. The MGC consists of DC and AC MGs connected to a local electricity grid. The DC MG integrates a wind turbine, fuel cell, an electrolyzer, an ultracapacitor, and DC loads. In contrast, the AC MG integrates an electric battery bank, a photovoltaic generator and AC loads. The control system uses local controllers for each device in the cluster and a dynamic centralized energy management system to coordinate optimally energy dispatch and distribution among all energy storage systems. To assess the control approach, fluctuating incident solar radiation and winds speed, and dynamic loads conditions are introduced in the system. The control system demonstrates robust behavior across the different simulation scenarios.