Optimal Planning of a Smart Microgrid Including Demand Response and Intermittent Renewable Energy Resources

Heating/cooling systems have played an important role in building energy and comfort management. There have been intensive discussions about the integration of heating/cooling systems into the smart grid infrastructure over the past decade, yet controlling the operation of heating/cooling systems in a smart grid with high penetration of renewable resources has not been addressed clearly. This study has investigated the suitability of a novel active controller applied to heating/cooling systems in the context of smart grid with high penetration of renewable energies. The proposed controller operates by responding to a combination of internal set points and external signals (e.g. the availability of renewable energy resources and welfare of customers) from a single local controller. The heating/cooling systems management minimizes the overall cost of the simulated smart microgrid, the size of smart microgrid units, and the imported energy from the distribution grid through an optimization process. It also at the same time maximizes the reliability of the smart microgrid. Demonstrated results confirm the capability of the proposed heating/cooling system controller on the planning of a smart microgrid.