Residential Microgrid Load Management and

Optimal Control in grid Connected and Islanded

Mode
Mohammed Laour *, Fethi Akel, Douadi Bendib, Madjid Chikh
Unité de Développent des Equipements Solaires UDES/
Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelables,
CDER Bou-Ismail, 42415, Tipaza, AlgHULD
laour.mohammed@udes.dz

Abstract— The recommended solution for smart energy
management in a residential micro-grid requires the
development of advanced computational tools to put in place
effective management strategies and maintain the balance
between supply and demand. A residential micro-grid makes it
possible to exploit renewable energy sources locally, while
optimizing production, consumption and storage in order to
participate in the balance of the distribution network.
In this paper, an optimal design approach integrating the
planning of energy flows and sizing of the elements of a
residential micro-grid with storage is developed in order to define
the optimum number of PV panels and battery banks capacity.
The approach consists in designing architectures and conversion
chains adapted to both the integration of decentralized
generation, with energy storage, connected or not to a
distribution network, while ensuring the intelligent management
of energy in this residential city. Then, an adjustment of
consumption is obtained by adjusting the daily consumption
curve in order to adapt it to production and to maintain the
balance between supply and demand. The principle is based on
the modulation of the load curve by distributing the consumption
during the day in order to avoid consumption peaks during peak
periods and the mismatch between consumption and energy
availability locally.
Keywords- smart grid; residential micro-grid; Demand-side
management; distributed energy resource; load shifting
I. INTRODUCTION
The definition of the concept of "Smart Grid" consists in a
first step to design a micro-smart grid "Microgrid". An
important feature of a micro-grid is its ability to disconnect
from the local power distribution network and operate in island
mode. This represents an important opportunity for distributed
power generation (DPG) systems using heterogeneous energy
sources (photovoltaic panels, Battery energy storage systems
“BESS”, diesel generator and residential electrical network) [1-
3]. However, these DPG units produce transients caused by
system disturbances such as a load change, the connection or
disconnection of a DPG unit, a change in network topology and
fluctuating energy resources.
The micro-grid is an important and necessary part in the
development of smart-grids. A smart-grid is gradually
implemented through multiple micro-networks that interact
with each other [4].
Residential micro-grids enable optimized management of
renewable electricity generation at the local level. They can
provide an ancillary service to the public distribution network,
helping to maintain voltage stability and frequency when
operating in island mode. In addition, the infrastructure
required for smart-grids is complex to implement and can take
several years, micro-networks become a simpler alternative to
implement and could therefore play a leading role in the
deployment of smart grids (smart -grids) [5]. By replicating on
a small scale a large number of issues related to the deployment
of Smart Grids.
Our goal is focused on modeling and managing a
residential micro-grid that consists of multiple DPG units and
electronically interfaced loads.
Control of an islanded micro-grid involves regulating
voltage and frequency while creating a balance between
demand (loads) and generation (DPG).
The management of energy resources at the scale of a
residential micro-grid is often achieved by optimizing the
sizing of renewable energy production and storage systems
through the study of special cases such as the case of a small a
residential city connected to the local electricity grid and
incorporating local production and storage systems.
II. MODELING OF A RESIDENTIAL MICRO GRID
A microgrid which includes PV generator, grid and battery
energy storage systems (BESS) is shown in figure.1. In this
configuration, the residential micro grid can be operating in
islanded and grid connected mode.
The used model parameters for simulation are:

 


 - Total load: PLoad_max =17 kW
- PV productions: PPV_max = 16.5 kW
- BESS: Psto_max = 8.5kW
PV
generator DC/AC
AC
BUS
Loads
DC/AC
BESS
Grid
Figure 1. Configuration of residential microgrid system operating in grid
connected and islanded mode.
A. Photovoltaic Generator Modeling
In order to minimize the simulation time, a model of a PV
generator is developed under the Matlab Simulink
environment, the equivalent mathematical model of the PV
generator presents the profile of the average daily PV power
generated by the photovoltaic panels for a typical day.
Therefore, a simple PV model is chosen for the optimal sizing
of an island microgrid, the PV output power is expressed as
function of the area, solar radiation conditions and its
efficiency [6, 7].
PPV (t ) K. AP . N PV . E (t ) (1)
where
: the energy conversion efficiency (%)
Ap: the area of single PV panels
NPV: the number of PV panels
E(t) : the solar radiation value.
B. The role of storage in the residential micro-grid for the
reliability of the distribution network
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can be used for
peak consumption smoothing with renewable production. This
is similar to the peak offset but with a significantly shorter
period.
In a low sunlight situation, such as a cloudy day, a PV
generator generates energy intermittently with hollows and
spikes (figure.5 and 6). Both types of fluctuations can cause
dynamic instability in the residential micro-grid [8-10]. Local
energy storage can mitigate these fluctuations in power output
by regulating power up controls and absorbing power peaks,
while responding to sudden drops by injecting power. This
smoothing of the generation curve provides a more stable
power source and a reliable distribution network.
C. State of charge of a battery (SOC)
The state of charge (SOC) of a battery can be defined as the
remaining capacity, that is, the amount of ampere-hour charge
that would be delivered if a discharge was performed under
static conditions (current and temperature given), from the
current state of charge to the predefined discharge end criteria
In a standardized way, it most often corresponds to the ratio
between the remaining capacity and the nominal capacity [6,
7]:
The battery state of charge can be calculated as follows:
C (t )
SOC
C ref
(2)
Where
Cref : the reference capacity.
C(t) : the batteries capacity at each instant
The batteries capacity at each time C(t) is calculated as
follows [9]:
C(t) = Q(t0) + Qc(t) + Qd(t) (3)
Where:
Q(t0): the initial quantity of charge
Qc(t) : the quantity of charge exchange during the charge
Qd(t): the quantity of charge exchange during the discharge
process.
In the islanded mode, the state of charge at hour t can be
calculated by the following equation [6, 7]:
PPV (t )  PL (t )
SOC (t ) SOC (t  1)  .'t (4)
C ref
In the grid connected mode, the SOC at hour t can be
calculated as following [6]:
PPV (t )  Pgrid  PL (t ) (5)
SOC (t ) SOC (t  1)  .'t
C ref
D. Modeling of the load (modulation of the load curve)
The aim is to modulate the daily consumption curve by load
scheduling. In the first step, the large loads are shifted in order
to promote the self-consumption of local production of solar
photovoltaic energy (Figure.2) [8].
The load consists of five homes, in each home, there are
several electrical equipments. In addition, each device differs
in its nominal power, type of use by users and its penetration
into the slot where a differential impact of demand
management actions depending on the selected electrical
equipment.
Therefore, the use of washing machines, dryers and
dishwashers can be done according to the evolution of
electricity from PV generator (Figure 2 and 3). This solution
helps to reduce the daily peak of electrical demand and does
not change the total energy consumed.
 4
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 2
x 10

The developed model is simulated using MATLAB / befor shifting

after shifting
Simulink. Firstly, the appliances belonging are taken care to
include in all three categories, they include both schedulable 1.5

Load power [ W ]
and non-schedulable loads [5]. This management scenario
helps consumers adjust their consumption to reduce their 1
energy cost while maintaining an acceptable level of comfort.
The details of the load scheduling algorithm are given on figure
2. 0.5

Start 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 25
Day time ( hour )
Input availability of battery Figure 3. Daily power curve of demand advance, load-shifting (summer
storage in the residential
building
day).
4
x 10
2
PV Generator
Load Categorization Shifted load
1.5 Storrage (batteries)
total energy stored
Tschedule = 1
1

Power [ W ]
X: 18.42
yes Y: 3424
Generate offline Whether 0.5
schedule for day T schedule>24

No 0
X: 16.12
Exit
Photovoltaic Y: -5343
energy -0.5
estimation

-1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 25
Priority Day Time ( hour )
allocation
algorithm

Figure 4. Daily power curve of load management optimization using load

scheduling.
4
x 10
No No 2
PV generator
If BESS is If BESS is
not connected connected 1.5 shifted load
Stored (batteries)
yes yes total energy stored
1
X: 18.47
Power [ W ]

Subprogram for Subprogram Y: 2862

decision making on for load
0.5
BESS functionality scheduling
0

-0.5
Subprogram
for peak load
shaving -1 peak
consumption

-1.5
0 5 10 15 20 25
Tschedule = Tschedule + 1 Day time [ hour ]

Figure 2. load scheduling algorithm Figure 5. Daily power curve of load management optimization using load
scheduling under intermittent PV generantion.
 20000 minimize the total cost and to manage the total electricity
PV generator
optimized load consumption of residential city. The model represents a control
15000 management
Stored (batteries)
of the appropriate electrical behavior of various end-user
total energy stored devices. The developed model is designed to provide economic
benefits to electricity consumers in the residential sector. By
Power [ W ]

10000
using priority, load-peak shaving and load shifting techniques,
X: 18.5
5000 Y: 3461 this model can be exploited to determine an optimal sizing of
island microgrid (PV-BESS) and grid-connected microgrid
0
(grid-connected PV-BESS system). In addition, this model
allows finding the optimal configuration of the PV generator
and BESS capacity.
-5000
0 5 10 15 20 25
Day time ( hour ) The control algorithm can be optimized to minimize
energy consumption costs, while respecting the physical
Figure 6. Daily power curve of load management optimization using load characteristics of the appliances, and an acceptable limit on
scheduling and peak shaving under intermittent PV generantion. total household electrical loads. This model can effectively
manage the daily generation and demand of electricity in the
70 residential sector using storage, and the results are encouraging
for the continued development of smarter electricity
60 management in the future.
SOC (%)

50
40
30
20
6 12 8 14 10 16 18 20
Day time [ hour ]
Figure 7. Evolution of the state of charge (SOC) in islanded mode operating.
The simulation results of power variation of the PV system,
BESS and loads are shown in Figures 4-6 for a summer day.
From these results, it can be seen in the optimal configuration
that the load demand is satisfied by the PV system and the
BESS all day long using load shifting and the energy of the PV
system is fully utilized.
During the first and last hours of the day, the necessery
consumption is provided by the BESS, during irradiation
periode, the excess power is fully billed for BESS due to the
fact that the PV power exceeds the load demand. And finally,
when the energy provided by the PV system is intermittently,
the high load demand is covered by the BESS.
The figure 7 shows the evolution of the SOC of BESS, in
the island mode operation, the SOC is below of its capacity,
therefore, the SOC can reach its maximum capacity in grid
connected mode operation.
IV. CONCLUSION
In this paper, we mainly discussed the modulated load
model (load scheduling strategy) linked to the need to
REFERENCES
[1] M. Montoya, R. Sherick, P. Haralson, R. Neal, and R. Yinger, “ Islands
in the storm: Integrating microgrids into the larger grid,” IEEE Power
and Energy Magazine, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 33-39, Jul. 2013.
[2] F. Katiraei, R. Iravani, and P. Lehn, “Micro-grid autonomous operation
during and subsequent to islanding process, ” IEEE Trans. Power Del.,
vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 24-257, Jan. 2005.
[3] J. A. P. Lopes, C. L. Moreira, and A. G. Madureira, “De_ning control
strategies for microgrids islanded operation,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst.,
vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 439-449, May 2006.
[4] Deng R, Yang Z, Chen J, et al. “Residential energy consumption
scheduling: a coupled-constraint game approach. IEEE Trans. Smart
Grid. 2014;5:1340–1350.
[5] A. Radhakrishnan, & M. P. Selvan, “Load scheduling for smart energy
management in residential buildings with renewable sources,” In IEEE
Power Systems Conference (NPSC), Eighteenth National, pp. 1-6,
December, 2014.
[6] A.-H. Mohsenian-Rad, V. W. S. Wong, J. Jatskevich, R. Schober, and A.
Leon-Garcia, “Autonomous demand-side management based on
gametheoretic energy consumption scheduling for the future smart grid,”
IEEE Trans. Smart Grid, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 320–331, Dec. 2010.
[7] Ngoc An Luu, “Control and management strategies for a microgrid”,
Gronoble university, France. PhD Thesis, Decembre 2014.
[8] Yu Ru; Kleissl, J.; Martinez, S., "Storage Size Determination for Grid-
Connected Photovoltaic Systems," Sustainable Energy, IEEE
Transactions on , vol.4, no.1, pp.68-81, Jan. 2013.
[9] Riffonneau, Y.; Bacha, S.; Barruel, F.; Ploix, S., "Optimal Power Flow
Management for Grid Connected PV Systems With Batteries,"
Sustainable Energy, IEEE Transactions on , vol.2, no.3, pp.309,320, July
2011.
[10] Arnaud Delaille, “Développement de méthodes d’évaluation de l’état de
charge et de l’état de santé des batteries utilisées dans les systèmes
photovoltaïques”. Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI university, France.
PhD Thesis, October 2006.