Stochastic analysis of residential micro combined heat and power system

•Applying colonial competitive algorithm to the problem of optimal dispatching.•Economic modeling of the residential integrated energy system.•Investigating differences of stand-alone and system-connected modes of fuel cell operation.•Considering uncertainty on the electrical load.•The effects of battery capacity and its efficiency on the system is investigated. In this paper the combined heat and power functionality of a fuel-cell in a residential hybrid energy system, including a battery, is studied. The demand uncertainties are modeled by investigating the stochastic load behavior by applying Monte Carlo simulation. The colonial competitive algorithm is adopted to the hybrid energy system scheduling problem and different energy resources are optimally scheduled to have optimal operating cost of hybrid energy system. In order to show the effectiveness of the colonial competitive algorithm, the results are compared with the results of the harmony search algorithm. The optimized scheduling of different energy resources is listed in an efficient look-up table for all time intervals. The effects of time of use and the battery efficiency and its size are investigated on the operating cost of the hybrid energy system. The results of this paper are expected to be used effectively in a real hybrid energy system.