Economic Dispatch in Micro-Grids with Alternative Energy Sources and Batteries

The problem of economic dispatch in a micro-grid interconnected to the conventional electrical system consists of optimizing the operating cost to satisfy the different operating requirements and the demand for electrical power required by the users. In the development of this proposal, there are challenges caused by the random nature of electricity generation systems based on renewable energy sources, for an adequate operation of the micro-grid, which can be solved through systems Energy Storage System (BESS). This paper addresses the problem of optimal economic dispatch in a microgrid that includes an energy storage system based on a battery bank and interconnected to the main grid through a mathematical programming approach, considering the benefits for customers by reducing their demand of electrical power and taking into account the costs of treatment pollutants produced by conventional energy sources. The generation systems used to satisfy the energy demand of the customers within the interconnected micro-grid are: a) conventional diesel generators, b) wind generation systems, c) photovoltaic systems, d) a hydroelectric turbine, and e) a storage system based on electric batteries. The results of the effectiveness of the proposed mathematical model show that the demand for electrical power to the main grid can be reduced and customers obtain economic benefits by integrating the incentive-based demand response program into the energy management problem when environmental contingency events occur. The results show that when there are peaks in energy demand, the operating costs of the micro-grid increase by up to 380%. In the same way, when there are failures in renewable energy sources, storage systems (BESS) and diesel generators work at 100% of their capacities. The proposal is implemented in Lingo 17.0 software and simulation results show the feasibility of the proposal through the optimization of the operation of the micro-grid.