Comprehensive Control for Microgrid Autonomous Operation With Demand Response

Several situations in a microgrid (MG) cause unbalances leading to voltage and frequency variations. Conventionally MG power balance is ensured by storage battery units along with unscheduled load shedding. This paper presents control and management strategies to coordinate MG resources including generation, smart electric vehicles, and loads for frequency and voltage regulation to achieve optimal autonomous operation. MG control is designed in two layers of network, i.e., neighbour area network (NAN) and house area network (HAN). MG central controller operates at NAN layer, local load controllers operate at HAN layer, and smart electric vehicle controllers operate at both NAN and HAN layers. Two strategies—comprehensive control (CC) and vehicle aided CC—are developed and implemented in 11/0.4 kV urban residential four-feeder distribution system operating as MG. Both strategies enable calculative load manipulation for demand response (DR) considering customer load priority, thus maximizing customer satisfaction. The simulation results validate the proposed strategies providing frequency regulation and DR for MG autonomous operation. The proposed control and management strategy also provides an on-line tool for household maximum demand allocation and load management.