Optimal Demand Management for Smart Distribution Networks

Smart Grid utilities have been considering the widespread integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), such as wind and solar systems, for power generation. However, the main obstacle that faces these kinds of resources is their intermittent nature of power generation. Therefore, this will affect the system's ability to safely cover the required load demand. One of the solutions to overcome this mismatching issue is to reshape the demand profiles to match the available source profiles. In this paper, we develop an algorithm for Demand Side Management (DSM) using the load shifting technique. The proposed algorithm aims to maximize the systems' Load Factor (LF) by reducing the peak load of the system. Additionally, the algorithm minimizes the cost of the energy consumption by shifting loads according to different Time of Use (ToU) tariffs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm by conducting the maximization of the LF and the minimization of energy consumption cost for different types of load profiles in a Microgrid incorporating RES power plants. In the meanwhile, two different ToU tariffs are implemented to show the capability of our developed model of carrying out various variables.