A Review of Microgrid Energy Management and Control Strategies

Several issues have been reported with the expansion of the electric power grid and the increasing use of intermittent power sources, such as the need for expensive transmission lines and the issue of cascading blackouts, which can adversely affect critical infrastructures. Microgrids (MG) have been widely accepted as a viable solution to improve grid reliability and resiliency, ensuring continuous power supply to loads. However, to ensure the effective operation of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER), Microgrids must have Energy Management and Control Systems (EMCS). Therefore, considerable research has been conducted to achieve smooth profiles in grid parameters during operation at optimum running cost. This paper aims to provide a review of EMCS techniques that have evolved in recent years. Firstly, the fundamentals of microgrids are discussed for a general overview of the field. Then, a critical literature review is undertaken for the various methods applied for EM optimization in microgrid applications. Multiple factors have been explored in the objective functions throughout this review, including MG daily operational costs, energy storage degradation, revenue through trading with the grid or other parties, and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Control systems have been reviewed by categorizing them based on the different applications in MGs for stable operation. This paper also focuses on IEEE standards related to MG operation and control to facilitate other researchers to build upon a standardized set of rules and to enhance the interoperability of the diverse EMCS techniques.