Modeling and Evaluation of Real-Time Energy Management Systems for Microgrids

The introduction of renewable generation to power systems present great opportunities to harness natural sources of energy. However, they suffer the drawbacks of intermittency, unpredictability, and increased complexity. Energy storage is a necessary component to address these issues. Energy management systems propose planning, forecasting, and deployment of energy to integrate new technology address its shortfalls. This paper evaluates popular control strategies: rule-based, and linear programming. Case studies are presented to demonstrate use cases and value of these methods. Experimental testing also verifies the credibility of practical implementation. Recommendations are made to further the practicality of energy management systems, including controllable loads, real-time pricing, and time-of-use tariffs.