Single-objective optimal scheduling of a low voltage microgrid: A minimum-cost strategy with peak shaving issues

Distributed generation units in microgrids are typically inadequate to meet the total loads demand during the peak hours, whereas a surplus of energy can be available during the hours of the day characterized by low demand. On the other hand, the foreseeable large use of plug-in electric vehicles storage systems could enable to modify the microgrid daily load demand; plug-in electric vehicles batteries, in fact, can have the multiple role of loads and energy sources. On the basis of the above considerations, this paper focuses on the economical scheduling of electric vehicles powers by proposing a single-objective optimization model that minimizes the total amount of daily cost suffered for the energy imported from the upstream network. The model includes also a constraint on the active power at the interconnection bus of the microgrid, thus enabling the peak shaving service. The effectiveness of the single-objective strategy is demonstrated with numerical applications to a low voltage test microgrid.