Control and Design of Microgrid Components - Power Systems ...

Chapter 8. Conclusions
This work showed that the microgrid architecture is a viable solution for including distributed
generation in a power system. This novel approach requires some features such as plug and play
and peer to peer for each of the units in the subsystem to operate correctly.
These features created issues that needed to be solved in order to successfully implement them in
a control for distributed generation. The control has been extensively tested on software
simulations and then digitally implemented on hardware platform. The UW-Madison testbed
includes two sources connected by four wire cables. Loads are located near each of the sources
and on the long cable that separates them. The connection with the utility is realized with a static
switch.
The UW-Madison microgrid setup allowed to test all the features of the control, including the
units in series and parallel configuration by rearranging the wiring connectivity. The test
exercised the upper and lower active power limits of the units when controlling source power
injection and feeder power flow.
The results obtained in this testing phase are very encouraging because the units performed as
expected without showing unknown behaviors. This first success has been the key motivator to
push for a new series of larger scale testing at American Electric Power. Work is currently being
carried out to create a three unit demo microgrid and subject it to a similar series of tests by the
end of the year 2006.
Upon completing the tests at American Electric Power the next logical phase for RD&D is to
build from the base established by the AEP Microgrid to prioritize, develop, and then
demonstrate needed additional technology enhancements required to optimize the microgrid
from the explicit perspective of enhancing the business case for microgrids. That is, having
demonstrated the technical feasibility of microgrid functions, RD&D optimization efforts are
now needed to accelerate commercial deployment. The work will pay special attention to the
economic drivers outlined in the solicitation: “economic dispatch responsive to pricing signals
and demand management programs, customer willingness to pay premiums for increased power
reliability and quality, etc.”
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