PHIL implementation of a decentralized online OPF for active distribution grids

This paper demonstrates a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) implementation of a decentralized optimal power flow (D-OPF) algorithm embedded into the operations of two microgrids connected by a tie line. To integrate the static behavior of the optimization model, a two layer control architecture is introduced. Underneath the dispatch commands from the D-OPF, a primary control scheme provides instantaneous reaction to the load dynamics. This setup is tested in the PHIL environment of the CoSES Lab in TU Munich. In the experiment, the two microgrids cooperatively optimize their operation through an Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) based unbalanced D-OPF. The operation is then benchmarked against the exclusive use of primary control, without D-OPF. The decentralized approach outperforms, but also shows minor inefficiencies of integrating optimization methods into the real-time operation of the system.