Architecture and Operational Control for Resilient Microgrids

The increasing frequency of natural disasters has led to situations in which small urban centers and critical infrastructures become isolated from the main utility grid. The microgrids’ ability to work autonomously from the utility grid presents a viable solution to this problem. Microgrid resiliency is the characteristic related to the capacity of a microgrid to minimize the impact of disruptive events and ensure that the power supply is maintained under a variety of adverse conditions. This is especially important for critical infrastructures such as hospitals, communications, computer networks and military bases. The objective of this paper is to simulate strategies and propose an algorithm for the design and management of electric microgrids with a focus on resiliency towards critical and disaster situations. The proposed solutions were validated, using an experimental microgrid implemented at the University of Coimbra as a pilot. As a result of the work, the study presents an algorithm that efficiently manages loads of a microgrid, including automatic islanding operation, in order to increase its resilience when the microgrid is isolated from the utility grid.