Application of improved Wolf pack algorithm in planning and operation of multi-microgrid systems with electric vehicles

With the rapid growth of renewable energy sources and the widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs), the planning and operation problems of multiple microgrids (MMGs) have become more complex and diverse. This paper develop an MMG model with multiple renewable energy sources and small-scale EVs, aiming to maximize the use of renewable energy sources and realize the charging demand of EVs, and highlighting the potential role of EVs in MMGs. In addition, the paper underscores the indispensable role of measurement technology in microgrids and the impetus that microgrid development provides for advancements in measurement technology. To this end, this paper proposes an improved Wolf pack algorithm (IWPA) based on the standard Wolf Pack Algorithm (WPA) with a spiral search approach and chaotic updating of individuals to improve the global search capability of the algorithm and the complexity of solving the scheduling problem. Through simulation experiments on ten standard test functions and examples, it is verified that the IWPA algorithm improves the search accuracy by 2.8%–6.8% and 13.9%–18.3% in the worst and best cases, respectively, in comparison with other algorithms, and it also has a faster convergence speed. Meanwhile, this paper proposes a load interval pricing strategy for the shortcomings of time-of-use pricing strategy and traditional real-time pricing strategy, which is simulated under grid-connected operation, isolated grid operation, and multi-microgrid cooperative operation modes, and the simulation results of the arithmetic example show that this strategy can effectively reduce carbon emissions, and IWPA can effectively coordinate renewable energy, EVs, and other energy resources to achieve efficient energy management of MMGs and supply-demand balance.