New Robust Energy Management Model for Interconnected Power Networks Using Petri Nets Approach

The problematic of energy management, particularly in terms of resources control and efficiency, has become in the space of a few years an eminently strategic subject. Its implementation is both complex and exciting as the prospects are promising, especially in relation with smart grids technologies. The deregulation of the electricity market, the high cost of storage, and the new laws on energy transition incite some significant users (collectivities, cities, regions, etc.) to form themselves into local producers in order to gain autonomy and reduce their energy bills. Thus, they may have their own sources (classic and/or renewable energy sources) to satisfy their needs and sell their excess production instead of storing it. In this idea, the territorial interconnection principle offers several advantages (energy efficiency, environmental protection, better economic balance). The main challenge of such systems is to ensure good energy management. Therefore, power distribution strategy must be implemented by matching the supply and the demand. Such systems have to be financially viable and environmentally sustainable. This allows among others to reduce the electricity bill and limit the systematic use of the national power network, typically using non-renewable sources, and thereby support sustainable development. This paper presents an original model for aid-decision in terms of grid configurations and control powers exchanged between interconnected territories. The model is based on Petri nets. Therefore, an iterative algorithm for power flow management is based on instantaneous gap between the production capability (photovoltaic, wind) and the demand of each user. So, in order to validate our model, we selected three French regions: the PACA region, the Champagne-Ardenne region and the Lorraine region. Due to their policy, their geographical and climatic features, we opted for two renewable sources: “wind” and “photovoltaic”. The numerical simulations are performed using the instantaneous productions of each region and their energy demand for a typical summer day. A detailed economic analysis is performed for two scenarios (with or without interconnections). The results show that the use of renewable energy in an interconnection context (i.e. pooling), offers serious economic and technical advantages.