Optimization of Economic Power Flow in DC Microgrid in the Presence of Renewable Energy Resources with Voltage Controller Using Virtual Impedance and Real-time Pricing

In this paper, the economic load dispatch is investigated in order to minimize the operation cost in DC Microgrids. The operation cost includes the DG production cost and the grid electricity, while other parameters like component’s efficiency and demand response are considered in this study. In order to model the DC Microgrids, an electrical grid with wind and photovoltaic units, fuel cell and energy storage systems are considered connected to the main grid. This study is done in MATLAB and GAMS software, and the results are analyzed and compared in both cases. The results prove the suitability of both algorithms especially at peak hours. The voltage profile is within the limits for all cases. The economic load dispatch shows that energy storage systems are more applied in the optimization in MATLAB software; however, DGs are more applied in the optimization in GAMS software, while Microgrid is transferring more electricity with main grid.