Investigation of the Feasibility of Microgrid under Three Operational Configurations Using Whale Optimization Algorithm

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the feasibility of proposed microgrid (MG) that comprises photovoltaic, wind turbines, battery energy storage and diesel generator to supply a residential building in Grindelwald which is chosen as the test location. Design/methodology/approachThree operational configurations were used to run the proposed MG. In the first configuration, the electric energy can be vended and procured utterly between the main-grid and MG. In the second configuration, the energy trade was performed within 15 kWh as the maximum allowable limit of energy to purchase and sell. In the third configuration, the system performance in the stand-alone operation mode was investigated. A whale optimization technique is used to determine the optimal size of MG in all proposed configurations. The cost of energy (COE) and other measures are used to evaluate the system performance. FindingsThe obtained results revealed that the first configuration is the most beneficial with COE of 0.253$/KWh and reliable 100%. Furthermore, the whale optimization algorithm is sufficiently feasible as compared to other techniques to apply in the applications of MG. Originality/valueThe value of the proposed research is to investigate to what extend the integration between MG and main-grid is beneficial economically and technically. As opposed to previous research studies that have focused predominantly only on the optimal size of MG.