Joint Optimization of Operation and Maintenance Policies for Solar-Powered Microgrids

• Published in: IEEE transactions on sustainable energy Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 833 - 842
• Main Authors: Mahani, Khashayar, Liang, Zhenglin, Parlikad, Ajith Kumar, Jafari, Mohsen A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Piscataway IEEE 01.04.2019; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Aging; Computer simulation; condition-based maintenance; Costs; Degradation; Dependence; Distributed generation; Downtime; Electric power grids; Electrostatic discharges; Energy storage; Feasibility studies; Inspection; Linear programming; linear programming and continuous-time Markov chain; Maintenance; Maintenance engineering; Maintenance management; Markov chains; Mathematical models; Microgrids; operation dependence; Optimization; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic systems; Photovoltaics; Policies; Power dispatch; Solar cells; Solar energy; Solar power; Two-level optimization
• ISSN: 1949-3029; 1949-3037
• DOI: 10.1109/TSTE.2018.2849318

In a solar-powered microgrid (MG), the optimal maintenance strategy is influenced by the downtime cost of the photovoltaic (PV) system, which in turn depends on the operation PV within the MG network. Also, the dispatch policy used in the MG will influence the economic feasibility of maintenance plans. In this paper, we present an approach for optimizing the operation and maintenance policy jointly for a solar-powered MG considering the dependence between the two policies. The two-layered approach presented in this paper seeks to unify the practicality of simulation and the efficiency of analytical models. In the upper layer, we optimize the operation of MG by solving the optimal power dispatch within the MG network using linear programming approach. Then, we calculate the penalty costs under the aging conditions of PV systems. In the bottom layer, by incorporating the penalty costs as input parameters, we use a continuous-time Markov chain model to calculate the optimal maintenance policy for the PV system. The proposed approach could be used in the stipulation process between MG owner and PV system maintenance provider to minimize the money waste on both sides.