Determining optimal component sizes for an isolated solar-battery micro-grid using Butterfly PSO

The isolated renewable energy based microgrids are emerging as a preferred substitute over grid extension for remote locations. The highly intermittent nature of solar irradiance is a major hindrance in maintaining the required reliability standards. Integration of battery storage systems in conjunction with solar generators can substantially prove to be helpful in maintain continuity of supply. While planning the solar-battery based isolated micro-grid (MG), it is essential to determine the component sizes of solar generators and battery storage to adequately manage system cost and reliability. In this paper, determination of optimum component sizes for a solar-battery micro-grid (SB-MG) has been carried out. The intermittency of solar irradiance has been modelled using beta probability density function. An effective bio-inspired algorithm called as Butterfiy-PSO has been used for solving optimization problem. The reliability criteria considered is percentage of unserved energy. The objective function is formulated to minimize levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Sensitivity analysis is conducted to facilitate enhanced understanding of results. The SB-MG under study is considered to be located in Jaisalmer, India.