Adaptive control of distributed generation and demand side management in a microgrid

A microgrid is a combination of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Distributed Generation (DG), which can be operated in both islanded mode and grid-connected mode. It is a reliable solution for overcoming the inefficiencies and mismanagement in a power system. Due to the increased power consumption, the current electric power system is experiencing grave operational challenges and as a result, the transmission line blackouts occur occasionally. The paper presents and analyzes a microgrid system based on RES with a focus on the smart use of demand and generation in a microgrid. In the proposed system, power sources are scheduled as per requirement and the loads are categorized as critical and non-critical loads. The power to the critical load must always be maintained therefore, in a critical situation the power to the non-critical load is shed off to make the critical load running. Moreover, the load management is done by using the Demand Side Management (DSM) technique, in which load is shifted from peak hours to off-peak hours. The proposed system is simulated in MATLAB and a prototype has also been developed. The results indicate the smart supply to the critical and non-critical loads as per the defined conditions and availability of the power sources.