On the real-time power sharing problem

An emerging concept in smart grid design is distributed generation, a new design approach for power networks in which energy is produced not only in central power stations, but also in small local generators that form Distributed Energy Resource (DER) networks. In particular, complexities that are associated with distributed generation control, and limitations on available communication infrastructure, are key issues in large scale power sharing among distributed sources. The objective of this paper is to develop a method for power sharing among DERs in real-time, using limited communication channels. These issues are addressed by control strategies stemming from low-rank coordination, a control technique in which individual DERs interact via aggregate variables associated with Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). The freedom in distributing the power production is exploited via an explicit characterization of the right inverse and the null space of the system. As a result, both the overall cost of operation and the communication overhead are minimized.