Energy management for a customer owned grid-tied photovoltaic micro generator

The advancement of renewable energy technologies has offered an opportunity for most governments to regulate the utility grid and lower energy costs. Through government driven demand side management programs, policies have been developed that generally encourage the development of customer centered microgrids. Some of the incentives offered to energy users include provision of cash rebates for installation of wind turbines, availing free or subsidized photovoltaic (PV) panels to customers and through offering renewable energy credits to the consumers. These microgrids are connected to the main utility grid where there is a two way exchange of power. However, proper mechanisms must be put in place to regulate the interaction between the main grid and the microgrids. Among the critical issues that need to be addressed include the amount of renewable power that can be fed to the main grid as well as the energy price at which this is done. This paper therefore presents the demand side energy management for a grid connected household with a locally generated photovoltaic energy.