Abstract
In a context with an increasing number of non-traditional power sources, smart inverters function as the main interfaces between distributed energy resources (DERs) and the power bus. This role is even more prominent in microgrids (MGs), where numerous DERs must be controlled and coordinated. For this aim, MGs need to implement suitable communication links since, even in distributed control, the system must compensate voltage and frequency deviations caused by local controllers. Likewise, a communication system is required to optimize its operation. This paper aims to apply the technological advances brought by the Internet of Things (IoT) to the issue of communication within an MG. The work proposes a wireless communication architecture based on the message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol, accompanied by a set of requirements and specifications to establish a multi-directional information flow between DERs in an MG, and potential energy management system (EMS) or secondary controllers. A laboratory-scale testbed was implemented to demonstrate the operation of an EMS in the proposed architecture. The experimental results showed how current control structures seamlessly integrate with the proposed communication system. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that communication latencies or failures did not comprise the stability of the MG, but only decreased the optimality of the EMS control strategy.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
M2M communications and the new possibilities of the Internet of things (IoT) technologies, problems such as things identification, service-oriented architectures, and interoperability can be solved [7,8]. With these principles in mind, this paper proposes a wireless communication infrastructure based on message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) which is a lightweight application layer messaging protocol
The problem of cooperatively communicating a set of inverters in an MG system has been tackled in a flexible and reliable manner. This MG control structure has been based on grid-feeding inverters and operates in grid-connected mode
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In a microgrid (MG), inverters are the interfaces between distributed energy resources (DER) and the MG bus. Depending on the control structure of the MG, its reliance on communication gains relevance. These control structures are generally classified as centralised, decentralised, and distributed. Distributed strategies have become more relevant as they reduce communication requirements and mostly rely on local measurements for their operation. The state-of-the-art hierarchical control structure, which is a comprehensive extension of distributed control, still requires communication on the higher levels of control, and only primary controllers can be regarded as communication-free [1]
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