Optimal Planning and Operational Management of Open-Market Community Microgrids

In this article, a new business model comprising multiple stakeholders is proposed to develop a frame for future flexible retail energy market in community microgrids. The microgrid comprises multiple and different distributed energy resources (DERs) such as renewable generation units, battery energy storage systems (BESSs), and micro diesel engines (MDE), to minimize daily operational costs of the system. To solve the defined complex optimization model, some operational strategies are proposed and then genetic algorithm is adopted to determine the hourly optimal power dispatch. The case study shows that the proposed model minimizes the daily operating cost of the community system effectively. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.