Distributed and Asynchronous Operational Optimization of Networked Microgrids

TL;DR

This paper introduces a software-defined, distributed, and asynchronous optimization framework for networked microgrids, enabling flexible, secure, and efficient operation through modular models and a novel coordination method.

Contribution

It proposes a new architecture, a discrete droop controller model, and the DA-SLR method for asynchronous microgrid coordination, advancing microgrid operational optimization.

Findings

DA-SLR outperforms ADMM in efficiency

The architecture ensures programmability of islanded microgrids

The discrete droop controller model enhances control accuracy

Abstract

Smart programmable microgrids (SPM) is an emerging technology for making microgrids more software-defined and less hardware-independent such that converting distributed energy resources (DERs) to networked community microgrids becomes affordable, autonomic, and secure. As one of the cornerstones of SPM, this paper pioneers a concept of software-defined operation optimization for networked microgrids, where operation objectives, grid connection, and DER participation will be defined by software and plug-and-play, and can be quickly reconfigured, based on the development of modularized and tightened models and a novel asynchronous price-based decomposition-and-coordination method. Key contributions include: (1) design the architecture of the operational optimization of networked microgrids which can be readily implemented to ensure the programmability of islanded microgrids in solving the distributed optimization models, (2) realize a novel discrete model of droop controller, and (3) introduce a powerful distributed and asynchronous method Distributed and Asynchronous Surrogate Lagrangian Relaxation (DA-SLR) to efficiently coordinate microgrids asynchronously. Two case studies are tested to demonstrate the efficiency of developed DA-SLR, and specifically, the testing results show the superiority of DA-SLR as compared to previous methods such as ADMM.