Methodology for Identification of the Optimal Structure of Hybrid AC-DC Microgrids and Micro Energy Hubs

Abstract

With the increasing availability of DC consumer appliances as well as the increasing penetration of direct current (DC) Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as photovoltaics (PV) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS), the concept of DC and hybrid AC-DC distribution systems and microgrids attract more and more attention. This paper presents the advantages of DC and hybrid AC-DC microgrids over the AC systems, based on the literature and proposes a methodology for identification of the optimal structure of a hybrid AC-DC microgrid and micro energy hub (mEH) to achieve high efficiency with lower losses and lower cost. In addition, a real test case was used as a case study in order to examine and validate the proposed methodology. The main outcome of this study is that the implementation of a hybrid AC-DC microgrid can bring a lot of benefits to consumers and system operators and play an important role in reducing losses and increasing the overall system performance in terms of energy efficiency and power quality.