Enhancing Voltage Regulation in DC Microgrids Using a Price Incentive Load Management Approach

Abstract

This paper studies the voltage regulation problem in DC microgrids in the presence of variable loads. DC microgrids generally include several Distributed Generation Units (DGUs), connected to electrical loads through DC power lines. The variable nature of loads at each spot, caused for example by moving electric vehicles, may cause voltage deregulation in the grid. To reduce this undesired effect, this study proposes an incentivebased load management strategy to balance the loads connected to the grid. The electricity price at each node of the grid is considered to be dependent on its voltage. This guide moving customers to connect to cheaper connection points, and ultimately results in even load distribution. Simulations show the improvement in the voltage regulation, power loss, and efficiency of the grid even when only a small portion of customers accept the proposed incentive.