A Decision Support Tool for Building Integrated Renewable Energy Microgrids Connected to a Smart Grid

Authors

Damilola A. Asaleye, Department of Process, Energy & Transport Engineering, Cork Institute of Technology
Michael D. Murphy, Department of Process, Energy & Transport Engineering, Cork Institute of TechnologyFollow
Michael Breen, Department of Mechanical, Biomedical & Manufacturing Engineering, Cork Institute of TechnologyFollow

Document Type

Article

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Disciplines

Environmental Engineering | Environmental Sciences | Natural Resource Economics | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Oil, Gas, and Energy | Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering | Other Engineering | Other Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering

Publication Details

Energies

Abstract

The objective of this study was to create a tool that will enable renewable energy microgrid (REμG) facility users to make informed decisions on the utilization of electrical power output from a building integrated REμG connected to a smart grid. A decision support tool for renewable energy microgrids (DSTREM) capable of predicting photovoltaic array and wind turbine power outputs was developed. The tool simulated users’ daily electricity consumption costs, avoided CO₂ emissions and incurred monetary income relative to the usage of the building integrated REμG connected to the national electricity smart grid. DSTREM forecasted climate variables, which were used to predict REμG power output over a period of seven days. Control logic was used to prioritize supply of electricity to consumers from the renewable energy sources and the national smart grid. Across the evaluated REμG electricity supply options and during working days, electricity exported by the REμG to the national smart grid ranged from 0% to 61% of total daily generation. The results demonstrated that both monetary saving and CO₂ offsets can be substantially improved through the application of DSTREM to a REμG connected to a building.

Recommended Citation

Asaleye, D. A., Breen, M. and Murphy, M. D. Asaleye, D., Breen, M. and Murphy, M. (2017) "A Decision Support Tool for Building Integrated Renewable Energy Microgrids Connected to a Smart Grid", Energies, 10(11), p. 1765. doi: 10.3390/en10111765.