Control of Electrical/Thermal Multi-Energy Microgrid

Multi-energy microgrids (MEMGs) are becoming an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Proper coordination among two or more energy vectors in this type of system can improve its efficiency and provide greater independence from large grids. This work presents a novel dynamic energy management system (EMS) for an MEMG that consists of heat and electricity vectors. The thermal network is composed of a gas boiler, an electric boiler and a heat load. On the other hand, a PV system, a battery bank, an electric load and a connection with the grid constitute the electrical network. In general, the EMS evaluates the PV power and electric demand and adjusts the temperature of the water in the electric boiler to avoid excessive dependency on the local grid. The MEMG and EMS were evaluated through a 4.5 hours-simulation and various conditions of sun irradiance, heat, water, and electric demand. The results show the suitability of the EMS for reducing the dependency on the local grid.