Microgrid energy management strategy considering microgrid economy and rSOC stability: A model-based study

Microgrids possess the ability to use renewable energy efficiently and play an increasingly significant role in environmental protection and sustainable development. Meanwhile, reversible solid oxide fuel cell (rSOC) is currently a new type of energy conversion and storage. Combining with microgrid systems is a great way to benefit from its high capacity, high efficiency, and cleanliness. However, rSOC’s complex system of coupled heat, electricity, and gas presents a significant challenge in finding energy management strategies for microgrid applications containing rSOC. In this study, for a microgrid system combining rSOC, battery energy storage system (BESS), solar photovoltaic (PV), and wind turbine generator (WTG), we propose a model-based energy management strategy that simultaneously takes into account the economy of the microgrid system and the stability of the rSOC system. First of all, the microgrid is modeled with great detail, including the wind turbine, solar panels, battery storage system, and rSOC. In addition, the microgrid energy management problem is framed as a mathematical programming problem, with the attention focusing on the costs of BESS aging and operational energy loss of rSOC. In particular, this study also proposes a penalty strategy to reduce the power fluctuation amplitude of the rSOC system and reduce the mode switching frequency of the rSOC system. Using the solver, solving for each device’s target power in a microgrid. The actual power operating curve is output by tracking the target power under slope constraints using the Simulink model. We then conduct a case study using data from Wuhan, China. Our research shows that compared with the control strategy based on rule control, the control strategy proposed in this study can reduce the power variation amplitude of the rSOC system by $79 \%$, reduce the mode switching frequency by $85 \%$, reduce the system operating cost by $4.5 \%$ and increase the energy self-sufficiency rate by $9 \%$.