Nowadays, microgrids are gaining importance in electric power generation and distribution environments due to their flexibility, versatility, scalability and the possibility of supplying ancillary services when connected to the grid. They allow for the customization of electric supply for very different types of consumers. Therefore, a new control model for power and energy management based on homeostaticity of electric power systems (EPS) is presented, which has been already analyzed and approved by ENEL Chile in its developmental stage. ENEL, the largest electric utility in the country, is interested in incorporating smart microgrids in the electricity distribution market, as part of a worldwide policy. Such microgrids are to be installed in buildings serviced by ENEL. To demonstrate the model’s utility, a Simulink model of a real microgrid is used, which is comprised of PV generation, energy storage, an air conditioning (AC) equipment and thermal storage of the building upon which the microgrid is installed. The behavior of every element is simulated, including the dynamic thermal model of the building in order to optimize energy management and power supply versus consumption. The behavior of the whole system is analyzed under different environmental profiles and energy consumption patterns using the proposed homeostaticity system.

In this paper a novel model is being proposed and considered by ENEL—the largest electric utility in Chile—and analyzed thoroughly, whereby electric power control and energy management for a 60-apartments’ residential building is presented as an example of the utility’s green energy program, part of its Smart Grid Transformation plan to install grid-tied distributed generation (DG) systems, namely microgrids, with solar generation and energy storage in Santiago, Chile. The particular tariffs scheme analysis shown is part of the overall projected tentative benefits of adopting the new scheme, which will require the utility’s customers to adapt their consumption behavior to the limited supply of renewable energy by changing energy consumption habits and schedules in a way that maximizes the capacity and efficiency of the grid-tied microgrid with energy storage. The change in behavior entails rescheduling power consumption to hours where the energy supply capacity in the DG system is higher and price is lower as well as curtailing their power needs in certain hourly blocks so as to maximize DG system’s efficiency and supply capacity. Nevertheless, the latter presents a problem under the perspective of ENEL’s renewable energy sources (RES) integration plan with the electric utility’s grid supply, which, up until now and due to current electric tariffs law, has not had a clear solution. Under said scenario, a set of strategies based on energy homeostasis principles for the coordination and control of the electricity supply versus customers’ demand has been devised and tested. These strategies which consider various scenarios to conform to grid flexibility requirements by ENEL, have been adapted for the specific needs of these types of customers while considering the particular infrastructure of the network. Thus, the microgrid adjusts itself to the grid in order to complement the grid supply while seeking to maximize green supply capacity and operational efficiency, wherein the different energy users and their energy consumption profiles play a crucial role as “active loads”, being able to respond and adapt to the needs of the grid-connected microgrid while enjoying economic benefits. Simulation results are presented under different tariff options, system’s capacity and energy storage alternatives, in order to compare the proposed strategies with the actual case of traditional grid’s electricity distribution service, where no green energy is present. The results show the advantage of the proposed tariffs scheme, along with power control and energy management strategies for the integration of distributed power generation within ENEL’s Smart Grid Transformation in Chile.

This paper solves the buck–boost converter operation problem in the discontinuous conduction mode and the feeding a DC bus of a combined battery/solar-powered electric vehicle grid. Since the sun’s radiation has a very important effect on the performance of photovoltaic solar modules due to its continuous variation, the main task of the system under study is the regulation of the output voltage from an MPPT system located at the output of the panels in order to obtain a DC bus voltage that is fixed to 24 V. This is ensured via a double-loop scheme, where the current inner loop relies on sliding-mode control; meanwhile, the outer voltage loop considers a proportional–integral action. Additionally, the current loop implements an adaptive hysteresis logic in order to operate at a fixed frequency. The closed-loop system’s performance is checked via numerical results with respect to step changes in the load, input voltage, and output voltage reference variations.