An intelligent hybrid communication system for a distributed renewable energy management

The ever increasing demand for energy has led towards distributed renewable energy generation systems. Such systems depend on a well integrated information and communication infrastructure for interconnection and integration of various energy sources, loads, and environmental sensors to achieve intelligent distributed control and management. This paper describes the design and implementation of an intelligent hybrid communication system for a micro distributed energy generation application. The industrial standard controller area network (CAN) bus was selected to connect various energy sources and loads, due to its resistance to noisy conditions. An application specific communication protocol was designed, based on the CAN protocol, to allow data exchange and control. The proposed communication system was verified using a prototype micro wind generation system with multiple power converters and a central energy management unit. Combined with intelligent control algorithms, which could in future be incorporated in the energy management unit, the system has the ability to perform optimised load balancing and energy usage planning.