Optimal Upgrade of an Islanded Solar Photovoltaic Microgrid Using a Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm

The increasing demand for reliable and sustainable energy has led to a growing interest in microgrids, particularly islanded microgrids powered by renewable energy sources. This paper proposes an optimal upgrade approach for an islanded solar photovoltaic (PV) microgrid to accommodate increasing load demand efficiently. Given the constraint that additional solar PV panels cannot be installed, the research focuses on expanding the battery storage system and integrating diesel generators as backup power sources. A grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is applied to determine the optimal number of batteries and the required diesel generator capacity. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, comparative analyses with a genetic algorithm (GA) and a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm are conducted. The results indicate that the GWO algorithm outperforms GA and PSO algorithm in terms of cost minimization, convergence value and convergence speed.