Real-Time Operation of Microgrids
- 1 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
- 2 Department of Computer Engineering, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan
- 3 Department of Computer Engineering, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan
- 4 Department of Computer Engineering, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan
Abstract
Microgrid (MG) systems effectively integrate a generation mix of solar, wind, and other renewable energy resources. The intermittent nature of renewable resources and the unpredictable weather conditions contribute largely to the unreliability of microgrid real-time operation. This paper investigates the behavior of microgrid for different intermittent scenarios of photovoltaic generation in real-time. Reactive power coordination control and load shedding mechanisms are used for reliable operation and are implemented using OPAL-RT simulator integrated with Matlab. In an islanded MG, load shedding can be an effective mechanism to maintain generation-load balance. The microgrid of the German Jordanian University (GJU) is used for illustration. The results show that reactive power coordination control not only stabilizes the MG operation in real-time but also reduces power losses on transmission lines. The results also show that the power losses at some substations are reduced by a range of 6% - 9.8%.
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