Distributed control for optimal economic dispatch of power generators

In this paper, we present a simple, distributed algorithm that adjusts the power-frequency set-points of generators to correct for generation and load fluctuations, and asymptotically achieves the lowest-cost power allocation among generators while driving the power imbalance exponentially to zero. In this algorithm each generator executes its own control law using only the power imbalance in the network, a quantity in turn locally obtained through local monitoring of the frequency deviation on the grid. Our results only assume that the cost of each generator is a convex function. The distributed approach is motivated by the anticipated needs of the future electric grid with a large penetration of distributed small-scale alternative energy generators, and also consumers with “smart metering” capabilities. We present analytical results and numerical simulations to illustrate the performance of our algorithm.