Open Access

ARTICLE

Optimizing Decision-Making of A Smart Prosumer Microgrid Using Simulation

Oussama Accouche^1,*, Rajan Kumar Gangadhari²

1 College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila 54200, Kuwait
2 Operations and IT, ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad, 501203, India

* Corresponding Author: Oussama Accouche. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Energy Efficiency and Energy Consumption of Sensor Network for Applications, Including the Various Methods of Energy Storage)

Computers, Materials & Continua 2023, 76(1), 151-173. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2023.038648

Received 22 December 2022; Accepted 12 April 2023; Issue published 08 June 2023

Abstract

Distributed renewable energy sources offer significant alternatives for Qatar and the Arab Gulf region’s future fuel supply and demand. Microgrids are essential for providing dependable power in difficult-to-reach areas while incorporating significant amounts of renewable energy sources. In energy-efficient data centers, distributed generation can be used to meet the facility’s overall power needs. This study primarily focuses on the best energy management practices for a smart microgrid in Qatar while taking demand-side load management into account. This article looked into a university microgrid in Qatar that primarily aimed to get all of its energy from the grid. While diesel generators are categorized as a dispatchable distributed generation with energy storage added to handle solar radiation from the sun and high grid power operating costs in the suggested scenario, wind turbines and solar Photovoltaic (PV) are classified as non-dispatchable distributed generators. The resulting linear math issues are assessed and displayed in MATLAB optimization software using a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) strategy. According to the simulation results, the suggested energy management strategy reduced the university microgrid’s grid power costs by 38.8%, making it an affordable solution which is somehow greater than the prior case scenario’s 23% savings. The installed solar system capacity’s effects on the economy, society, and finances were also assessed, and it became clear that the best option for the smart microgrid was determined that would be 325 kW of solar PV, 25 kW of wind turbine, and 600 kW of diesel generators, respectively. Given the current situation, university administrators are urged to participate in distributed generators and adopt cutting-edge designs for energy storage technologies due to the significant environmental and financial benefits.

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Keywords

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