Active distribution network and microgrid integration strategy

Power system dynamics is changing partly due to the large scale deployment of renewable energy sources into the electric grid. Integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), energy storage, and microgrid have introduced new challenges and opportunities for managing power system operation. Source and load control at the distribution level is quickly becoming a key requirement of this evolving system. Voltage regulation, frequency response baselining, anti-islanding, voltage ride through, and reactive margin support are amongst the technical challenges in the Smart Grid era. Microgrids can be used in conjunction with large scale DER deployment using asynchronous interconnection to the main ac grid. This approach helps to create frequency islands facilitating distributed frequency control and can be helpful in a grid with large scale renewable resources. Centralized protection and control (CPC) within a microgrid can provide significant benefits in achieving this objective. These industry initiatives require a renewed attention to protection, automation and control strategies. This paper discusses the benefit of CPC for more DER integration using microgrid as a component of the solution.