A Preliminary Analysis of the Tradability of Future Micro-Grid Networks

A micro-grid is here defined as an arbitrarily sized community within which the heat and electricity from co-operating micro-generators are used to supply the time varying energy demands in a manner that gives rise to cost and performance benefits relative to conventional means of supply. The inevitable demand/supply mismatch over various time periods gives rise to temporally varying energy surpluses and deficits. In the case of electricity, residuals may be traded with other micro-grids or with the public supply. This paper investigates the impact on trading efficacy of parameters relating to microgrid size, equipment reliability and renewable energy source intermittency.