García Caro, SebastiánBracco, StefanoParejo Matos, AntonioFresia, MatteoGuerrero Alonso, Juan IgnacioLeón de Mora, Carlos2025-06-102025-06-102025-04García Caro, S., Bracco, S., Parejo Matos, A., Fresia, M., Guerrero Alonso, J.I. y León de Mora, C. (2025). Cost-Effective Operation of Microgrids: A MILP-Based Energy Management System for Active and Reactive Power Control. International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, 165, 110458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2025.110458.0142-06151879-3517https://hdl.handle.net/11441/174144Microgrids (MGs) have emerged as a potential solution for the integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) into the distribution network. In this sense, to effectively manage MGs, it is essential to implement Energy Management Systems (EMSs). This entails not only performing the unit commitment but also considering the voltage and reactive power technical constraints and managing ancillary services. This paper contributes with a comprehensive EMS for the optimal management of active and reactive power of a generic grid-tied MG composed of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs), Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs), Diesel Generator (DGs) units and loads, with the goal of reducing the operating costs of the facility. The EMS includes models for the power electronics units to apply reactive power management and a generic formulation for the management of the startup and shutdown cycles of dispatchable units. Furthermore, a detailed modeling of BESS and DG units is presented, reflecting the actual behavior of the devices. The MG is modeled as a multi-busbar network, with the application of the power flow equations to establish the link between power flows and nodal voltages. All the constraints are linearized to formulate the EMS as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization problem. The EMS is validated in a real facility: the CATEPS Microgrid Living-Lab. The results demonstrate the operational effectiveness of the EMS in different seasons, exhibiting a reduction in costs ranging from 21.84 % in summer to a 5.69 % in winter compared to a scenario with RES production but without energy management. In addition, a comprehensive examination of reactive power and voltage management is presented. Furthermore, an empirical assessment of the power flow equations linearization demonstrated minimal discrepancy in the results when compared with those obtained with the non-linear equations, exhibiting a mean absolute error of 8.8e-5 p.u. and 3.2e-5 rad in voltage magnitude and phase angle, respectively, in the most unfavorable scenario. A sensitivity analysis of the startup and shutdown cycles management of the BESS reveals a negligible effect on operational costs, yet it provides a mechanism for managing the battery stress by reducing the number of startups in a complete week from 28 to 16 in summer and from 37 to 24 in winter. The dependence between the maximum charging and discharging power on the state of charge of the BESS is also assessed in the use case.application/pdf18 p.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Distributed Energy ResourcesEnergy Management SystemsMicrogridsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2025.110458