A Chance Constrained Information-Gap Decision Model for Multi-Period Microgrid Planning

This paper presents a chance constrained information gap decision model for multi-period microgrid expansion planning (MMEP) considering two categories of uncertainties, namely random and non-random uncertainties. The main task of MMEP is to determine the optimal sizing, type selection, and installation time of distributed energy resources (DER) in microgrid. In the proposed formulation, information gap decision theory (IGDT) is applied to hedge against non-random uncertainties of long-term demand growth. Then, chance constraints are imposed in the operational stage to address the random uncertainties of hourly renewable energy generation and load variation. The objective of chance constrained information gap decision model is to maximize the robustness level of DER investment meanwhile satisfying a set of operational constraints with a high probability. The integration of IGDT and chance constrained program, however, makes it very challenging to compute. To address this challenge, we propose and implement a strengthened bilinear Benders decomposition method. Finally, the effectiveness of proposed planning model is verified through the numerical studies on both the simple and practical complex microgrid. Also, our new computational method demonstrates a superior solution capacity and scalability. Compared to directly using a professional mixed integer programming solver, it could reduce the computational time by orders of magnitude.