The worldwide demand for reduction of CO2 pollution, with more penetration of renewable energy sources and an increased number of electric vehicles (EVs), demonstrates the importance of economic dispatch (ED) with taking into account the reduction of CO2 emission. ED is a classical problem in which EVs impose more penetration as a dynamic load, and its impact as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is the possible future trend with cost minimization. Based on the integration of EVs and hybrid renewable sources concerning both economic dispatch and pollution minimization, the multi-objective function is converted into a single comprehensive objective by using the judgment matrix methodology. In this paper, the investigation involves the minimization of the cost of all three objectives viz. operation cost, pollution cost, and carbon emissions with ED by incorporating V2G technology. The algorithms which include particle swarm optimization, as well as artificial bee colony, are applied under various operation and control strategies. The proposed models are verified and analyzed with different case studies. In terms of operation economics, the simulation results validate the superior performance of EVs based microgrid (MG) model in the coordinated charging and discharging mode. Further, the comparison of both algorithms shows better results with the ABC algorithm in terms of cost minimization of all objectives. ABC is better in V2G based microgrid with coordinated charging and discharging mode while its performance is significant during a large number of EVs (i.e., 700 EVs). Moreover, the load shedding scenarios are integrated which enables the MG system to operate in dual mode (i.e., seamless transition). In this paper, the main contribution involves penetration of EVs as dynamic load and its V2G impact in a coordinated or uncoordinated way, application of ABC algorithm for this particular load problem with improved results, and inclusion of short-term load shedding scenarios.

Microgrids being an important entity in the distribution system, and to get their full advantages by incorporating maximum distributed generation, standalone hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs), being environmentally-safe and economically-efficient, are considered as the promising solution to electrify remote areas where the grid power is not available. In this work, a techno-economic investigation with an optimal design of HRES is presented to fulfill the domestic electricity need for a residential area of the Sherani district in the Province of Baluchistan, Pakistan. Nine case studies based on PV/wind/diesel/battery are analyzed based on net present cost (NPC), cost of energy (COE), and emission to decide the feasible solution. HOMER tool is utilized to accomplish modeling and simulation for economic analysis and optimal sizing. Simulation results demonstrated that HRES with PV-wind-battery is the most viable option for the specified area, and the optimal sizing of components are also obtained with $ 28,620 NPC and 0.311 $/kWh COE which shows 81.65% reduction in cost and 100% preserving in toxic emission while fulfilling 100% energy demand with 67.3% of excess energy. Furthermore, MATLAB/Simulink modeling for the optimally designed system is built for technical analysis while its effectiveness is proved by keeping dc and ac buses voltage constant, safe operating range of battery state of charge (SOC) with active power balance between HRES components, as well as efficient ac voltage quality, regardless of generation disturbances and load fluctuations. The output signal has total harmonic distortion (THD) of 0.30% as compared to 5.44% with the conventional control scheme. The novelty lies in the sequential application of both HOMER and MATLAB simulations of the proposed HRES model and validation of the proposition for the studied area; by using and implementing model predictive control (MPC) of a reconfigurable inverter.

Standalone rural microgrid (MG) systems are considered as a sustainable and economical solutions towards rural area electrifications. Specific control schemes are necessary to adopt for reliable and economic performance of these rural MGs. This study focuses on the optimal utilization of biomass potential considering specific applications of bio generator (BG) with BG-PV-WT-BSS and BG-PV-SMES based standalone rural MG systems. In the first case of the BG-PV-WT-BSS, the optimal sizing/selection of DGs of a rural MG has been proposed using the improved-MILP (I-MILP) approach. The objectives of this study were to minimize total net present cost (TNPC), the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and GHG emissions. In the second case of BG-PV-SMES, the simulation model of the rural microgrid consisting of a variable speed bio generator (VSBG) and photovoltaic (PV) has been developed. Afterwards, a simplified EMS has been designed for the coordinated operation control of the distributed energy resources (DERs) in the rural MGs using MATLAB/Simulink ^® environment. For the DGs connected via power converter, FOSMC and FCS-MPC based coordinated control has been proposed in the simplified EMS. The purpose of the FOSMC and FCS-MPC based power converter is the improvement of the system performance (for instance power quality, regulated voltage and THD) under external disturbances. Simulation analysis shows the better operation of FOSMC and FCS-MPC under less THD and improved power quality.

A suitable energy management scheme and integrating renewable energy resources (RERs) can significantly increase energy efficiency and the stability of future grids operation. This work modeled a household energy management comprising a microgrid (MG) system and demand response programs (DRPs). Residential loads with price-based tariffs are introduced to reduce peak load demands and energy costs. For incorporating the uncertainties in RERs, their stochastic nature is modeled with a probabilistic method. This paper proposes a joint optimization approach for the optimal planning and operation of grid-connected residential, rural MG integrated into renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) in view of DRPs. The investigation focuses on energy saving of residential homes under different DRPs and RERs integration. The EVs are integrated into MG by including photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), fuel cell (FC), and diesel engines (DEs). A multi-objective optimization problem has been formulated to minimize the operating cost, pollutant treatment cost, and carbon emissions cost defined as C1, C2, and C3, respectively. The load demand has been rescheduled because of three DRPs, i.e., critical peak pricing (CPP), real-time electricity pricing (RTEP), and time of use (TOU). Further, the EV load has also been analyzed in autonomous and coordinated charging strategies. Using a judgement matrix, the proposed multi-objective problem is transformed into a single-objective problem. The results of an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm are compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The simulation analysis was accomplished by employing ABC and PSO in MATLAB. The mathematical model of MG was implemented, and the effects of DRPs based MG were investigated under different numbers of EVs and load data to reduce different costs. To analyze the impact of DRPs, the residential, rural MG is implemented for 50 homes with a peak load of 5 kW each and EV load with 80 EVs and 700 EVs, respectively. The simulation results with different test cases are formulated while analyzing the tradeoff between ABC and PSO algorithms. The simulation analysis shows that multiple DRPs, EVs, and RERs offered a substantial trade-off.

At present, the disturbances like the voltage fluctuations, resulting from the grid’s complexities and unbalanced load conditions, create severe power quality concerns like total harmonic distortion (THD) and voltage unbalance factor (VUF) of the grid voltage. Though the custom power devices such as distribution-static compensators (D-STATCOMs) improve these power quality concerns, however, the accompanying controller plays the substantial role. Therefore, this paper proposes a fractional-order sliding mode control (FOSMC) for a D-STATCOM to compensate the low power distribution system by injecting/absorbing a specific extent of the reactive power under disturbances. FOSMC is a non-linear robust control in which the sliding surface is designed by using the Riemann-Liouville ( RL ) function and the chattering phenomenon is minimized by using the exponential reaching law. The stability of FOSMC is evidenced by employing the Lyapunov stability criteria. Moreover, the performance of the proposed FOSMC is further accessed while doing its parametric variations. The complete system is demonstrated with a model of 400V, 180kVA radial distributor along with D-STATCOM under two test scenarios in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The results of the proposed controller are compared with the fixed frequency sliding mode control (FFSMC) and conventional proportional-integral (PI) control. The results validate the superiority of the proposed controller in terms of rapid tracking, fast convergence, and overall damping with very low THD and VUF.