Planning, Operation, Protection and Restoration Strategies for Microgrids with Distributed Energy Resources

Integration or interconnection of distributed energy resources (DER) is evolving as an emerging power scenario for electric power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure globally. As DER applications penetrates into the conventional bulk power systems, the following technical problems and challenges have been considered by the utility operators and DER providers: 1) sizing and locating for DERs in the planning stage; 2) demand-side management for DER-dominated microgrid in the steady-state operation stage; 3) protection control for inverter-interfaced DER in the transient dynamic stage; and 4) restoration service with DER participants in the restoration stage. To overcome the above difficulties, four novel approaches are presented in this dissertation: 1. A combined strategy to determine the optimal location of PV distributed generation units (PV-DGs): Economic optimization and power system stability are considered together to decide the capacities, quantities, and locations of PV-DGs. 2. A distributed demand response (DR) algorithm to realize peak load shaving in a campus microgrid: A decentralized DR model is developed to realize peak load shaving under the incentive of minimizing the affected population caused by the load interruption. 3. Fault ride through (FRT) technique for inverter-interfaced DER integration into the bulk power system: To provide fault current management and increase the system reliability in the transient dynamic stage, a natural reference frame based FRT technique is developed. 4. A game-theoretic approach for DER energy trading in the restoration service: It offers system operators an important decision support on energy dispatching during restoration service.