Distributed Control Techniques in Microgrids

The objective of this paper is to provide a review of distributed control and management strategies for the next generation power system in the context of microgrids. This paper also identifies future research directions. The next generation power system, also referred to as the smart grid, is distinct from the existing power system due to its extensive use of integrated communication, advanced components such as power electronics, sensing, and measurement, and advanced control technologies. At the same time, the need for increased number of small distributed and renewable energy resources can exceed the capabilities of an available computational resource. Therefore, the recent literature has seen a significant research effort on dividing the control task among different units, which gives rise to the development of several distributed techniques. This paper discusses features and characteristics of these techniques, and identifies challenges and opportunities ahead. The paper also discusses the relationship between distributed control and hierarchical control.