A mixed integer linear programming model for the energy management problem of microgrids

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical model for the energy management (EM) problem of a microgrid (MG) by means of a mixed integer linear programming approach. In the EM problem, the objective is to determine a generation and a controllable load demand policy that minimises, over a planning horizon, the operation cost subject to economical and technical constraints. We propose a detail modelling for microturbines (MTs) and fuel cells (FCs), where the constraints associated with such factors as the ramps, minimum up and downtime, and generation limits, represent various peculiarities that have not been adequately considered in literature. The proposed model also considers a detailed representation of critical, reschedulable and curtailable loads, which are important aspects in the MG concept. To analyse the proposed modelling, a MG is used along with a MT, a FC, a battery bank, wind and photovoltaic generators connected to the main grid. The results indicate that the model is adequate for the MG EM.