Object-Oriented Usability Indices for Multi-Objective Demand Side Management Using Teaching-Learning Based Optimization

Abstract

This paper proposes Object-Oriented Usability Indices (OOUI) for multi-objective Demand Side Management (DSM). These indices quantify the achievements of multi-objective DSM in a power network. DSM can be considered as a method adopted by utilities to shed some load during peak load hours. Usually, there are service contracts, and the curtailments or dimming of load are automatically done by service providers based on contract provisions. This paper formulates three indices, namely peak power shaving, renewable energy integration, and an overall usability index. The first two indices indicate the amount of peak load shaving and integration of renewable energy, while the third one combines the impact of both indices and quantifies the overall benefit achieved through DSM. The application of the proposed indices is presented through simulation performed in a grid-tied microgrid environment for a multi-objective DSM formulation. The adopted microgrid structure consists of three units of diesel generators and two renewable energy sources. Simulation has been done using MATLAB software. Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) is adopted as the optimization tool due to its simplicity and independency of algorithm-specific control parameters. Five different cases of renewable energy availability with results validate the efficiency of the proposed approach. The results indicate the usefulness in determining the suitable condition regarding DSM application.