Robust Coordination of Distributed Generation and Price-Based Demand Response in Microgrids

Microgrid is an effective means to integrate distributed generation (DG) resource. However, uncertain renewable DG such as wind turbine and photovoltaic outputs and load demands can introduce tremendous difficulties for energy management in microgrids. To mitigate such difficulties, price-based demand response (PBDR) can adjust the loads to adapt to the renewables. On the other hand, dispatchable DG such as microturbines can coordinate with the PBDR to further manage the power balance and achieve economic benefits. In this paper, a two-stage robust microgrid coordination strategy is proposed: A PBDR is scheduled a day ahead and microturbine outputs are modified hourly. A two-stage robust optimization model is proposed to address the coordination problem with guaranteed robustness against the uncertainties of renewable DG and load demands. Simulation results show PBDR and multiple DG units can coordinate effectively to accommodate the renewable and demand uncertainties while maximizing the microgrid benefits.