Leveraging Demand Flexibility by Exploiting Prosumer Response to Price Signals in Microgrids

Abstract

The diffusion of distributed energy resources in distribution networks requires new approaches to exploit the users’ capabilities of providing ancillary services. Of particular interest will be the coordination of microgrids operating as an aggregate of demand and supply units. This work reports a model predictive control (MPC) application in microgrids for the efficient energy management of energy storage systems and photovoltaic units. The MPC minimizes the economic cost of aggregate prosumers into a prediction horizon by forecasting generation and absorption profiles. The MPC is compared in realistic conditions with a heuristic strategy that acts in a instant manner, without taking into account signals prediction. The work aims at investigating the effect that different types of energy tariffs have in enhancing the end-users’ flexibility, based on three examples of currently applied tariffs, comparing the two storage control modes. The MPC always achieves a better solution than the heuristic approach in all considered scenarios from the cost minimization point of view, with an improvement that is amplified by increasing the energy price variations between peak and off-peak periods. Furthermore, the MPC approach provides a cost saving when compared to the case considering a microgrid endowed with only photovoltaic units, in which no storage is installed. Findings in this work confirm that storage units better perform when some knowledge of future demand and supply trends is provided, ensuring an economic cost saving and an important service for the overall community.

Comparison of Smart Charging and Battery Energy Storage System for a PV Prosumer with an EV

“…On the other hand, there is a large interest in PV prosumers with BESSs, with regards to scheduling and optimization [12]- [14]. In [15], the authors investigate the self-consumption of Swedish single-family households/dwellings, providing a sensitivity analysis of PV installation and battery of different sizes.…”

Real-Time Validation of Power Flow Control Method for Enhanced Operation of Microgrids

“…The role of distribution networks in power system management and support is changing dramatically. Revisions of the market framework are expected in the near future in order to exploit distributed resources for supporting upstream medium and high voltage grids [1,2]. In the perspective envisioned by the European directive [3], microgrids will be the bricks of future electric systems.…”

“…Various contributions align along the outlined direction organize microgrid control in multiple layers, as shown in Figure 2. The planning of the resources based on energy arbitrage is found at the higher level of the E-LAN control hierarchy, that is, the transactive control layer, which can be applied both at the microgrid level [1,7,8], also by exploiting detailed mathematical modeling of the distributed energy resources [9], and at the premises of single consumers too [10]. By these approaches, predictions about power needs and energy prices are taken into account to optimally exploit power flow control, as specifically done in [1,8,9].…”

“…The planning of the resources based on energy arbitrage is found at the higher level of the E-LAN control hierarchy, that is, the transactive control layer, which can be applied both at the microgrid level [1,7,8], also by exploiting detailed mathematical modeling of the distributed energy resources [9], and at the premises of single consumers too [10]. By these approaches, predictions about power needs and energy prices are taken into account to optimally exploit power flow control, as specifically done in [1,8,9]. On the other hand, network models and power flow constraints, which are considered herein, are crucial for optimal utilization of the microgrid distribution infrastructure [11].…”

Intelligent Electric Power Management System for Economic Maximization in a Residential Prosumer Unit

“…Assuming a model predictive control (MPC) scheme for photovoltaic units' efficient energy management, in [23], the MPC controller was said to minimise aggregate prosumers' economic cost into a prediction horizon considering the generation forecasting. The method was compared with a heuristic strategy without considering prediction, showing that the MPC control provided cost savings.…”