Efficient Operation of Energy Grids

This thesis deals with the investigation and application of optimization routines for the efficient operation of energy grids. The uncoordinated penetration of fluctuating generation units and consumers in the power system leads to increased variability and uncertainty. This poses challenges for stable grid operation. Introduction and lifting of flexibility potentials may alleviate these issues. For example, grid operation can be stabilized by investments in infrastructure, such as energy storage systems. While this can be a solution, this is also associated with substantial economical costs.
Other flexibility potentials are available. It has been shown that fluctuating distributed energy resources do not have to be part of the problem, but can be part of the solution. The concept of microgrids facilitates the integration of such flexibility concepts. The power system is a complex and expensive infrastructure. The return of investment may, therefore, be higher when considering improvements into system controls that address existing infrastructure in a more efficient manner, rather than to invest into additional power system infrastructure. In order to leverage the flexibility potentials of distributed energy resources, automatic generation control in microgrids can be addressed by model predictive control (MPC) principles. Proactive action of the microgrid can then lead to optimized frequency stability. Automatic generation control is, therefore, a first topic addressed by this thesis
and tested within a case study. Furthermore, flexibility potentials can be addressed through price–based control. Hereby, the flexible electricity consumers and prosumers are rewarded by an economical incentive to achieve the desired response. The integration of price–based controls is, therefore, another topic addressed by this thesis.