Micro-grid systems have been recently emerged for efficient integration and management of renewable energy sources, buildings’ equipment (e.g. ventilation; lighting; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and energy storage devices. The intermittent nature of the produced electricity from renewable energy sources constitutes, however, the main challenge for their seamless integration into buildings. Recent studies stated that storage devices, despite their actual high cost, could be used to tackle this issue by balancing between the variability of renewable energy sources production and the unpredictable building’s occupancy. However, managing the power flows in micro-grid systems is highly required in order to minimize the consumption from the electric grid while ensuring the quality and the reliability of electrical services. In this article, a micro-grid system platform is introduced for efficient integration and management of renewable energy sources and storage devices. The platform’s architecture is composed of three main components: (a) the power generation components that integrate the renewable energy sources together with the storage devices and the traditional electrical grid, (b) an advanced metering component for data gathering and analysis, and (c) control services for power flow management. The platform was developed and deployed in a real-setting scenario. Simulations and experimentations have been performed and results show the usefulness of the proposed platform for efficient management of the deployed micro-grid system.
Reliability evaluation and financial viability of an electricity power micro-grid system with the incorporation of renewable energy sources and energy storage: Case study of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
