Energy hub optimization using modified firefly algorithm

With the continuous increase of energy demand along with the congested transmission systems, distributed generation (DG) is suggested as a possible solution. In addition, with the limited fossil energy resources, the need for sustainable and environmentally friendly energy sources is increased. Energy hubs as one type of DG, have made the local use of multi energy carrier systems economically attractive. In this paper, a modified firefly based algorithm is proposed to optimally dispatch the energy hub input energy carriers. The objective is to minimize the total energy cost and emission amount of the energy hub while maximizing the cost of electrical and heating energy sold back to the network. The proposed algorithm is applied to a commercial facility (hospital) as a case study. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in solving the optimal dispatch of the energy hub components while reducing the overall cost and satisfying the system operational constraints.