Sizing and Simulation of an Alternative Microgrid System

Renewable energies such as solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, and geothermal energy have become increasingly important in large-scale energy development in recent years. In order to optimize the use of these energy sources, distributed generators such as microgrids are becoming more and more popular due to their efficiency and reliability. This chapter presents a study focused on the design and simulation of an AC-microgrid system consisting of a photovoltaic source, a battery bank, and the grid as a backup source, as well as the proposal for an energy management system. The objective is to ensure a stable energy flow between renewable energy sources and loads. A system sizing study was carried out using PVsyst software for the Oujda region in Morocco, and then a simulation of the system in the time domain was developed in the Matlab/Simulink environment to validate the microgrid's ability to provide stable electrical power to the loads. An energy management algorithm is used to manage power flows between the energy sources and the load unit to maintain an efficient, sustainable, and reliable power supply, increase battery life, and ensure their proper functioning in a safe area, taking into account different parameters such as the availability of photovoltaic energy and the state of charge of the battery bank. The contribution of this work is to demonstrate the design of an AC microgrid and to develop an energy management system that will be used in another study in a laboratory prototype at a reduced power scale.