Efficient, Flexible, and Resilient Control for Optimal Operation of Hybrid-Electric Shipboard Microgrids

Abstract

Electric transportation has been a well-studied research topic with electric ships gaining momentum. Ships can have a wide range in size from small cargo ships to military vessels. The benefits of electrification include meeting environmental sustainability goals and operational benefits in terms of flexibility and renewed operation. The power systems onboard a ship can be considered a microgrid, which is called a shipboard microgrid. This system poses unique challenges compared to land-based microgrids due to the resiliency requirements of being at sea. A control system for a hybrid- electric ship is proposed with both an energy storage system (ESS) and traditional diesel generators and gas turbines. This system balances economics with resilient control by calculating a baseline load distribution using the cost of operating each unit for the expected load profile. Additionally, the control system ensures that the generation capacity is available if the load does not follow the expected profile. To maintain flexibility, the system will redispatch the units as needed based on the actual load applied, while reducing the control efforts and maintaining the generation contingency. Therefore, the proposed shipboard microgrid control offers a control method that considers the cost of operation while maintaining the required standards of shipboard microgrid control.