Rooftop and facade solar PV proportional hybridization multi-site perspectives for optimal performance of resilient interconnected microgrids

• Published in: Electric power systems research 2025-04, Vol.241, Article 111273
• Main Authors: Abo-Elyousr, Farag K., Ramadan, Haitham S., Helmi, Ahmed M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Interconnected microgrids; Metaheuristics; Power losses minimization; Rooftop and facade PVs; Tie switches; Voltage profile improvement
• ISSN: 0378-7796
• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsr.2024.111273

Microgrids interconnectivity has a significant impact on the performance of interconnected microgrids. This study aims to define the distributed network (DN) optimal interconnection problem to minimize both the undesirable voltage dips and the overall costs through optimal deployment and proportioning of solar facade and rooftop PVs. With the unpredictability of the loads and the PV-captured energy, the capability of these optimizers remains a research issue. Initially, to address the optimal interconnectivity issues of contemporary DNs, this study proposes a novel modified optimization framework. Under the investigated framework, several recent meta-heuristic algorithms (AO, SMA, WHO, PSO) are developed to find the optimal locations for the solar PVs. Secondly, to confirm the geographical independence of the developed framework for improving the DN performance, the hourly meteorological data is utilized to rescale the facade and rooftop PVs at several distinct locations. Furthermore, the ratio between the facade and rooftop solar PVs is determined by techno-economic feasibility analysis. Ultimately, the Spearman and correlation coefficients are used to investigate complementarity and the relationship between the facade and rooftop PVs’ irradiation patterns and capacities. The flexible deployment of PVs on the roof and the facade of the buildings has substantially enhanced the voltage profile of the DN. In response to such enhancement, the techno-economic viability records facade ratio with respect to the rooftop type of (21.5%:78.3%) in Paris, France, compared to (15.9%:84.1%) in Neom, Saudi Arabia. In terms of meeting the objective function and enhancing the performance of the expansive 295-bus system, the WHO optimizer outperforms the other algorithms. •Uniqueness in proportioning facade and rooftop PVs for interconnected microgrids.•Study of the optimal interconnection of the subgrids with the usage of PV units.•Developing recent meta-heuristics to tackle the PVs size and deployment.•Economic viability analysis of integrating facade and rooftop PVs.