Economic Model Predictive Control-Based Strategies for Cost-Effective Supervision of Community Microgrids Considering Battery Lifetime

TLDR

Community microgrids are increasingly important due to limited public investment and policies, and technoeconomic analysis shows that a cluster of microgenerators can be an effective solution when individual systems are not feasible. The study aims to enhance the central controller’s capability by applying an economic model predictive control approach at the pricing level to achieve operational control of the microgrid cluster. A central controller using EMPC satisfies prosumer demand while optimizing microgrid constraints, with particular attention to battery lifetime, and its performance is compared to an IF‑THEN‑ELSE heuristic in a Dublin case study based on measured data. Simulations demonstrate that the EMPC strategy effectively and optimally manages the community microgrid system.

Abstract

Community-based microgrid (C-μGrid) systems are gaining increasing importance nowadays because of the lack of μGrid public investment and management policies. Technoeconomic analysis shows that C-μGrid based on a cluster of microgenerators could be an effective solution when individual systems are not feasible. In this paper, the controlling capability of the central controller of the C-μGrid is improved through an economic model predictive control (EMPC) approach operating at the pricing level that can fulfill the goal of the operational control of the cluster. With a central controller, it is capable of satisfying the demand at prosumer (active energy producer and simultaneous consumer) sides and, at the same time, optimizing the various μGrid contrasting constraints. Emphasis here has been given to the operational constraints related to the battery lifetime, so that the maintenance and replacement costs would be reduced. A comparative analysis has been carried out between the performance of two systems, one based on an IF-THEN-ELSE heuristic supervision logic (S-LOGIC) and the other based on the proposed EMPC strategy. The analysis has been undertaken in a location in Dublin, Ireland, on the basis of available measured data. Simulation shows the effectiveness of implementing the EMPC approach to optimally manage the system.