Optimal scheduler for energy consumption reduction in multi-vector energy management systems: A case study at the...

The objective of microgrid operation is to supply the energy demanded by the loads at minimum cost. To achieve this goal, new tools are being proposed in the literature, such as the use of optimal schedulers in the field of multi-vector management systems. An optimal scheduler provides the hourly schedule of the flexible loads that exist in a microgrid to maximize the use of local renewable resources. This work aims to investigate the application in the context of five optimization algorithms in terms of energy and computation costs and to demonstrate how optimal schedulers can contribute significantly to reducing energy operating costs in new and real microgrid scenarios. The analysis of the algorithms is carried out through an experimental process on the existing installations at Port of Borg (Norway), which contains photovoltaic production and different types of flexible assets, such as cranes, electric vehicle charging stations, and electrical storage. Real data gathered at the port's premises is used to assess the energy cost reduction when the optimal scheduler is part of the energy management system, and the computations are performed in real time to apply the proposed schedule to the pilot. The results show how the use of optimal schedulers can reduce operation costs up to 17.2%, augmenting local energy production utilization, and that using two OS algorithms in cascade can also reduce the computation time.