Optimizing Renewable Energy Management and Demand Response with Ant Colony Optimization: A Pathway to Enhanced Grid Stability and Efficiency

The integration of renewable energy sources into the power grid presents significant challenges due to their inherent variability and unpredictability. Efficient management of these sources and the effective implementation of demand response strategies are crucial for maintaining grid stability and optimizing energy usage. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) in optimizing microgrid operations compared to other modern algorithms such as Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Simulated Annealing (SA). The primary metrics of analysis include energy cost, renewable energy utilization, grid stability, and demand response effectiveness. Through a detailed dataset analysis and algorithmic implementation, the results indicate that ACO consistently outperforms its counterparts across all key performance indicators. ACO achieved the lowest energy cost, maximized renewable energy utilization, and maintained superior grid stability and demand response effectiveness. These findings highlight the potential of ACO as a robust optimization technique for enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of microgrid systems. The study underscores the importance of selecting appropriate algorithms to meet the complex and dynamic challenges of modern energy systems, promoting a transition towards greener and more reliable energy infrastructure.