Distributed Control Systems for Small-Scale Power Networks: Using Multiagent Cooperative Control Theory

Existing electric power distribution networks are operating near full capacity and facing rapid changes to address environmental concerns and improve their reliability and sustainability. These concerns are satisfied through the effective integration and coordination of distributed generators (DGs), which facilitate the exploitation of renewable energy resources, including wind power, photovoltaics, and fuel cells [1]. Although DGs can be of rotating machinery type, more recently, DGs have been designed to support renewable energy resources by electronic interfacing through voltage source inverters (VSI). Each DG corresponds to one energy source, and its control inputs are given to the interface VSI [1]-[5]. The successful coordination of DGs can be realized through microgrids, which are small-scale power systems consisting of local generation, local loads, and energy storage systems. Microgrids are autonomous subsystems with dedicated control systems that provide guaranteed power quality for local loads such as hospitals, economic centers, apartments, and universities. The microgrid concept, with its local control and power quality support, allows for the scalable integration of local power resources and loads into the existing power grid and enables a high penetration of distributed generation [5]-[10].