A Decentralized-Distributed Control Framework for Configurable Networked Microgrids

• Published in: IEEE transactions on industrial electronics (1982) Vol. 72; no. 1; pp. 959 - 968
• Main Authors: Guo, Fanghong, Li, Zhuocheng, Wu, Jinhui, Huang, Zhen, Ni, Hongjie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.01.2025; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Accuracy; Configurable networked microgrid; Configuration management; Control methods; Control stability; Control systems; Control theory; Decentralized control; directed graph; distributed control; Distributed generation; Frequency control; Graph theory; Microgrids; Privacy; secondary control; Synchronization; Transmission line matrix methods
• ISSN: 0278-0046; 1557-9948
• DOI: 10.1109/TIE.2024.3413827

Networked microgrids (NMGs) have emerged to tackle the intricate challenge posed by today's increasing power demands. However, the configuration of NMGs is subject to change due to revamping, faults, or privacy issues within each microgrid (MG), and existing control mechanisms cannot realize configurable control with a privacy guarantee. To address this control problem, we offer a fresh perspective on the control framework by proposing a configurable decentralized-distributed control strategy using directed graphs with minimal communication and less privacy disclosure risk. Specifically, one distributed generator (DG) in each MG is designated as the leader to ensure complete privacy protection in a decentralized manner, eliminating the need to exchange information among other NMGs. Follower DGs communicate exclusively with their leader DGs within clusters, enhancing the control performance. Furthermore, by introducing a novel leaky integral control law, the proposed configurable control framework can adapt to different NMG configurations without redesigning controllers. The stability of the entire NMG system is analyzed rigorously. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control framework is demonstrated in solving secondary frequency restoration and active power-sharing problems of NMGs. The experimental test system is built on the OPAL-RT system, and the results show the superiority of our proposed control method under decentralized, distributed, and hybrid NMG configurations.