The Use of Power Line Communication in Standalone Microgrids

Standalone microgrids are used in various industrial operations to supply critical loads. The authors have proposed a stable and robust decentralized ac microgrid architecture that provides an automatic and equitable load sharing between distributed generators, without the use of droop control. To deal with faults or real-time changes in the distributed generation levels, a flexible reconfiguration of the microgrid can be advantageous. To achieve that, this article proposes the use of power line communication (PLC). Two PLC strategies are explored in this article: the first is based on using a single and constant PLC frequency, and the second is based on using a variable PLC frequency within a given range. This article details PLC injection, detection, and suppression methods, as well as the overall communication logic. It demonstrates the ability of the microgrid to adapt to changes while minimizing the amount of battery support. Findings of this article are supported by simulations and validated by experiments.