Optimal operation strategy of distributed generators in a microgrid including energy storage devices

Microgrid (MG) is a low-voltage or medium-voltage distribution network, comprising various Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) Such as distributed generations (DGs), energy storage (ES) devices, and controllable loads operated in either the grid connected or islanded mode. In this paper, the optimal operation of an MG considering different type of DGs such as wind turbines, photovoltaics, fuel cells, micro turbines, and batteries is formulated as a constrained optimization problem. The objective function of the model is to minimize total daily operating cost. Since the proposed model is a mixture of real and binary decision variables, a binary version of Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) along with the original real coded HSA is used to solve the operation problem of a typical LV microgrid.