Optimal integration of alternative energy sources in production systems for minimum grid dependency and outage risk

The objective of this paper is to develop an optimal planning framework for a production system utilizing multi-source distributed energy supplies, in order to improve its energy efficiency and to reduce the dependency on grid energy and outage risk. The energy consumption of an automotive seat assembly plant is modeled using a discrete-event simulation, which consumes energy supplied by wind and solar, as well as traditional power plants. Machines in the assembly plant can be halted during designed time to avoid high peak load and operate efficiently in terms of power consumption. Also, the inventory level can be planned by adjusting production goal to better utilize alternative energy. The results from case studies show that the optimized production schedule can effectively reduce outage risk while meeting customer demands. Also, having the optimal production goal to over-produce more when alternative energy supply is high can reduce the dependency on grid energy.