Distributed control of smart microgrids by dynamic grid mapping

Smart microgrids represent a new arena where several branches of information technology are merging together to allow full exploitation of distributed generation (DG), reduced power consumption from the mains, better power quality and higher distribution efficiency. This is possible because every DG unit includes a power processor (power electronics converter), which allows full bidirectional control of the active and reactive power exchanged with the grid. This capability, combined with a pervasive application of distributed control and communication technologies, has the potential to completely revolutionize the electrical power delivery. In low-voltage residential microgrids, in particular, the availability of intelligent power meters and ubiquitous communication capability will make possible the cooperative operation of distributed power processors and the sharing of any available energy resources, in a fashion that resembles the Internet paradigm. This paper presents a plug & play control approach, suitable for the DG units of low-voltage residential microgrids, which allows effective utilization of the distributed energy resources, and efficient power delivery to the loads, by taking advantage of state-of-art powerline communication technologies.