Demand Control Management in Micro-grids: The Impact of Different Policies and Communication Network Topologies

TL;DR

This paper investigates how communication network structures and policies influence power efficiency and fairness in micro-grids, emphasizing the need for global system knowledge for optimal management.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified micro-grid model with layered decision-making and analyzes the impact of communication topology and policies on power utilization and fairness.

Findings

Global knowledge improves power utilization

Communication network topology affects fairness

Micro-grid aggregator enhances system performance

Abstract

This work studies how the communication network between proactive consumers affects the power utilization and fairness in a simplified direct-current micro-grid model, composed by three coupled layers: physical (an electric circuit that represents a micro-grid), communication (a peer-to-peer network within the micro-grid) and regulatory (individual decision strategies). Our results show that, for optimal power utilization and fairness, a global knowledge about the system is needed, demonstrating the importance of a micro-grid aggregator to inform about the power consumption for different time periods.