Managing the Demand in a Micro Grid Based on Load Shifting with Controllable Devices Using Hybrid WFS2ACSO Technique

Abstract

Demand Side Management (DSM) is an effective tool for utilities through reducing the demand of peak load and controlling the utilization of the energy of the system. The implementation of DSM provides benefits for utilities and is profitable for the customers who are involved in this process. DSM based on a load shifting strategy is proposed in this paper by employing various devices to minimize the energy consumption pattern in the system. The proposed hybrid strategy is the joint implementation of the Wingsuit Flying Search Algorithm (WFSA) and Artificial Cell Swarm Optimization (ACSO). The searching behavior of WFSA is enhanced by ACSO. Hence, it is named the WFS2ACSO technique. The implementation of this load shifting technique was carried out on three different types of loads, these being residential loads, commercial loads, and industrial loads. Two case studies, over summer and winter, were validated to check the feasibility of the test system. The proposed method aimed to achieve the load demand in an effective way for the minimization of bill electrification, Peak to Average Ratio (PAR), and the consumption of power. The Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing was implemented to calculate the savings in energy bills. The proposed test system of the Micro Grid (MG) was executed on a MATLAB platform with two case studies based on the optimization methods WFSA and WFS2ACSO. Simulation results demonstrated the comparative analysis of electricity cost and peak load with different algorithms and were carried out with and without DSM consideration. The projected DSM methodology achieved considerable savings as the peak load demand of MG decreased. Furthermore, the decrease in PAR levels of 14% in the residential load, 16% in the commercial load, and 10% in the industrial load, with and without the DSM methodology, was presented. The flight length and awareness of probability tuning parameters make the proposed algorithm more effective in obtaining better results. The test results obtained prove the effectiveness of the hybridized algorithm as compared with other trend-setting optimization techniques such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Ant Lion Optimization (ALO).