Implementation and CHIL Testing of a Microgrid

Control System
Chu Sun
Jean Nicolas Paquin Fares Al Jajeh, Geza Joos, Francois
Department of Electrical and Computer
Application eXpertise and Electrical Bouffard
Engineering
Simulation Division (AXES) Department of Electrical and Computer
McGill University
OPAL-RT TECHNOLOGIES Inc. Engineering
Montreal, Canada
Montreal, Canada McGill University
[email protected]
[email protected] Montreal, Canada
[email protected]

Abstract—With the growing deployment of microgrids, it is renewable energy resources, if not properly controlled, power
urgent to standardize microgrid control system and the test through point of interconnection (POI) will fluctuate when
procedure. In this paper, implementation and testing of a connected with utility grid, whose profile is typically a “duck
microgrid control system with transition and dispatch function curve”. In islanded mode, frequency and voltage are also most
is presented. To alleviate power fluctuations due to renewable likely to fluctuate.
energy and control the power at point of interconnection (POI)
to zero for planned islanding, tie-line flow control is adopted in On the other hand, according to IEEE Std. 2030.8 [3], an
grid-connected mode. Voltage-frequency control applied to associated set of real-time test platforms is required for
energy storage system can achieve stable frequency and active validation and compliance testing of the controllers. In
re-synchronization in islanded mode. State-of-Charge and comparison, CHIL test is preferable for evaluating
power-limiting based dispatch rules are employed in both grid- performance of microgrid control systems for their balance in
connected and islanded mode to maintain power balance while “fidelity” and “coverage”, as compared to purely simulation
reducing fuel consumption. Power balancing upon unplanned test and power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) test.
islanding is achieved by emergency dispatch. Technique for
smooth transition is also adopted to reduce the impact on the In the literature, there are numerous real-time
breaker at POI and mitigate the disturbance of distributed implementations of the microgrid control system. In [4], state-
renewable resources during islanding/reconnection. The control space-nodel (SSN) approach and FPGA-based computation
algorithm is implemented with controller hardware-in-the-loop engine were adopted for real-time simulation of microgrids,
(CHIL) test bench. but neither dispatch nor transition function was tested. In [5],
CHIL test-bench with constant POI power control in grid-
Keywords— Microgrid control system; Controller Hardware- connected mode and fixed frequency control in islanded mode
in-the-Loop (CHIL) testing; seamless transition; rule-based is developed, but transition and dispatch function is not tested.
dispatch; tie-line flow control A universal CHIL platform for microgrid controller testing is
proposed in [6], but only transition function is tested. In [7],
I. INTRODUCTION a microgrid control system embedded with dispatch function
Microgrids have long been deployed in remote is validated on a testbed built with real-time simulator, but the
communities for their ability to supply electricity to local optimization is still run offline. A CHIL testbed with
consumers. In the past decade, microgrids have redrawn a transition, dispatch and protection function is presented in [8],
wide attention by researchers for their capability of providing but no comprehensive tests are conducted. More generally, the
resilient power supply and effective integration of distributed existing microgrid control test-bench may only focus on one
renewable resource (DERs). DERs in microgrids are specific function (either transition or dispatch), and the tests
integrated into the distribution system in the form of are conducted without conforming to a standard.
conventional fuel/hydro driven synchronous machines, In accordance to the emerging standard, real-time
renewable energy resources such as wind and solar, implementation of a centralized microgrid control system is
distributed energy storage, curtailable load and critical load. implemented and test results under multiple scenarios are
Although deployment of numerous microgrids have presented in this paper. The control objectives are composed
existed, there was no standard of specific functions for of three aspects: mitigation of power fluctuations through POI
microgrid control system (MGCS) and corresponding tests [1]. when grid-connected, seamless transition and continuous
On one hand, “dispatch” and “transition” are the two core operation in the disconnection/reconnection process, and
functions of microgrid control systems according to IEEE Std. dispatch in both grid-connected and islanded mode. The
2030.7[2]. Dispatch function, more generally termed energy control strategy is validated with a CHIL test-bench, with
management system (EMS), is related to coordination of microgrid modeled with real-time simulator and control
DERs in microgrid to maintain power balance, while algorithm programmed with hardware microgrid controller.
achieving a set of objectives including minimizing total cost,
reducing carbon emission, maximizing reliability of power II. MICROGRID CONFIGURATION AND CONTROL
supply. To enhance energy security and resiliency, it is STRATEGY
expected that microgrids can run continuously when isolated
from or reconnected to utility grid. This requires that A. Microgrid Configuration
microgrids can be transited seamlessly between grid- The considered microgrid has a general topology, with one
connected mode and islanded mode, which is related to the directly connected diesel generator, one battery energy storage
transition function. Moreover, due to the volatile nature of system (BESS), one renewable energy resource (type-4 wind-
978-1-4799-7312-5/18/$31.00 ©2018 IEEE 2073
 Tdiesel ,ON − Tdiesel ,OFF ≥ Tdiesel ,min (4)
AC ICE
1) Dispatch in Islanded Mode
POI
Diesel generator The main control objective is to maintain power balance
Critical Load while subjecting to the above constraints. Isochronous control
is applied to ESS to maintain constant voltage and frequency
Breaker
Curtailable Load [9]. The diesel generator is controlled using f-P droop control
Utility grid and fixed power factor control (for example, unity power
Inverter Battery
factor), which provides grid-supporting function for
BtB
frequency regulation Power balance is achieved by event-
WTG Microgrid triggered dispatch as illustrated in Fig. 2. The net power is
converter
defined as the difference between wind generation and load
Fig. 1. Diagram of the microgrid model under study consumption. The net power can be positive or negative based
on the wind/load conditions.
turbine generator (WTG)), one curtailable load and one
critical load. The system bears radial network, connected to Pnet = Pload − Pwtg (5)
utility grid with a breaker and a transformer.
The rule-based dispatch is formed as a decision tree [10],
B. Proposed Dispatch Strategy with Pnet as the main trigger signal for dividing branch, SoC
A unified rule-based dispatch strategy in grid-connected as the second signal, while power of BESS, power of diesel
mode and islanded mode is proposed. As formulated in (1)- generator and its ON time being the remaining trigger signals.
(4), besides the State-of-Charge (SoC) and power limitation, Each of equation (1)-(3) corresponds to three branches, and
minimum ON time limitation of diesel generator is also each of equation (4) and (5) corresponds to two branches.
considered to avoid continuous ON/OFF action. Therefore, the maximum branch for each iteration will be
3*3*3*2*2=108. The final number of branches for command
• SoC limitation of battery storage: signal in each step is reduced to 13, as illustrated in Fig. 2, due
SoCmin ≤ SoC ≤ SoCmax (1) to redundant and conflicting conditions,. Notice the ramping
rate of generation is ignored, and the curtailable load can be
• Power limitation of battery storage: precisely shed. Otherwise, there will be more judging
criterions and decision branches.
Pdis ,max ≤ Pess ≤ Pch ,max (2)
The basic principle of the dispatch rule is similar to “load-
• Power limitation of diesel generator when turned on: following” principle used in HOMER [11], which tries to
fulfill power balance with just wind generation and energy
Pds ,min ≤ Pdiesel ≤ Pds ,max (3) storage, while the diesel generator serves mainly as a back-up
power supply and will only be turned on when SoC of battery
• Minimum ON time limitation of diesel generator: is close to the minimum threshold.

Get Pwind , Pload , SoC , tdiesel ,ON

Calculate Pnet

Y Pnet < 0 N
(ESS tends to charge) (ESS tends to discharge)

Y SoC ≤ SoCmin N
SoC ≥ SoCmax
Y
N
Is diesel ON and
tds ,ON < tds ,min Y
Pnet < Pds ,min Y

Is diesel ON and
tds ,ON < tds ,min N Pnet1 = Pnet − Pds ,min
N Is diesel ON and
N tds ,ON < tds ,min
Pwind _ curtail = Pnet
Pnet < Pds ,max Pnet < Pdis ,max
Pdiesel = 0 Y

Pess = 0 Pnet1 < Pdis ,max

Y Y
Pnet + Pds ,min < Pch ,max Pnet < Pch,max Y
Y N
N Y
N
N N
Pdiesel = Pds ,min Pdiesel = 0 Pload _ shed = 0 Pload _ shed = 0 Pload _ shed = 0 Pload _ shed = 0
N Y
Pw ind _ cur = 0 Pwind _ cur = Pnet − Pch ,max Pdiesel = − Pnet Pdiesel = Pds ,m in Pdiesel = 0 Pdiesel = Pds ,m in
Pess = Pnet + Pds ,min Pess = Pch ,max Pess = 0 Pess = Pnet + Pds ,m in Pess = Pnet Pess = Pnet 1 − Pds ,min

Pdiesel = Pds ,min Pdiesel = 0 Pload _ shed = Pnet − Pds ,max Pload _ shed = Pnet Pload _ shed = Pnet − Pdis ,max Pload _ shed = Pnet1 − Pdis ,max
Pwind _ cur = Pnet + Pds,min − Pch,max Pwind _ cur = 0 Pdiesel = Pds ,max Pdiesel = 0 Pdiesel = 0 Pdiesel = Pds ,min
Pess = Pch ,max Pess = Pnet Pess = 0 Pess = 0 Pess = Pdis ,max Pess = Pdis ,max

Fig. 2. SoC and power limiting triggered coordination of DERs in microgrid

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 Advantage of such type of dispatch is carbon emission is below some threshold (near zero); (3) Switching control
reduction and optimized utilization of BESS. Another type of strategy of ESS from PQ control to Vf control.
rule-based dispatch termed “cycle-charging”, which uses
battery primarily for wind smoothing and will maintain SoC Regarding reconnection, synchronization criterion should
near specific value such as 0.5, can be realized similarly, by first be met, namely frequency, phase angle and voltage
changing the dispatch priority of diesel generator [12]. Since amplitude on both sides of the breaker should be within
the power and energy capacity of BESS is relatively large in specified range before reconnection, as shown in Fig. 4.
the tested microgrid, “load following” strategy will be Active synchronization can be achieved by altering the
superior to “cycle-charging” strategy. A brief description of voltage and frequency reference of ESS to facilitate
the proposed dispatch rule is given below. reconnection. After reconnection, ESS will be switched back
to PQ control mode, with power reference being zero.
(1) When Pnet is positive, the power balance will be firstly
made by charging battery storage. If SoC or power of battery To realize seamless transition between grid-connected
comes to maximum limit, wind generation will be curtailed. mode and islanded mode, current control reference and phase
However, if the diesel generator is turned on and its operating angle are kept constant during transients [15,16]. As
time is shorter than the minimum operating time (for example, illustrated in Fig. 5, for POI power control in grid-connected
mode, the switch K1-K3 are closed while K4-K6 are open.
20 min), the diesel generator will still be on but its power
generation will be the minimum output. Therefore, the output of the PQ control is set as the initial
current reference of the Vf control. When switching to Vf
(2) When Pnet is negative, two sub-conditions should be control, the state of switches will turn opposite. The control
differentiated. If SoC is smaller than the minimum value, strategy can save state before transition, so abrupt change of
diesel generator will be turned on to make sure power of ESS current reference can be avoided. To further improve the
maintains zero. Controlled load will be shed if diesel dynamic performance of Vf controlled BESS, transient virtual
generation is not enough. If SoC is larger than minimum, resistor (TVR) is adopted [17]. Similarly, the phase angle is
firstly energy storage will be discharged. If not enough, load also saved before BESS is transferred from PQ control to Vf
will be shed. The expected state of diesel generator in this case control, as shown in Fig. 6.
will be turned on. However, the operating time of diesel
generator will also be considered, as described as above. Emergency dispatch will be adopted when unplanned
islanding event happens, as shown in Fig. 7. There are 8
Note that although the power reference for ESS is possible commands, based on the range of PPOI, Pdiesel and
explicitly given in Fig. 2, no command is needed for ESS in ON/OFF state of diesel generator before islanding
islanded mode, given that it is a slack bus which will (represented by the (i-1) instant). The power of BESS before
automatically balance power mismatch. Although there are islanding is frozen and its power reference after islanding will
multiple operating conditions, under normal condition (SoC keep the saved value. The power mismatch (due to PPOI)after
and power of ESS within limitation), the default operating islanding will be first fulfilled by adjusting power reference of
mode will be: diesel generator turned off or outputs minimum diesel generator, and then by shedding load or curtailing wind
power; WTG operating in maximum power point tracking generation. Notice the BESS should not switch to Vf control
(MPPT) mode and curtailable loads consume the given power.
Closed-loop PPOI PPOI
2) Dispatch in Grid-connected Mode control
_ Rest of the
*
Reducing power variation at the POI is an extra objective, PI + PPOI microgrid Utility grid
which is realized by dispatch rules and tie-line flow control
applied to the PQ controlled BESS [13,14]. The dispatch rule
PQ & current PPOI
is realized by assigning a specified power order P*POI for Inverter and
PESS , ref control filter
power through POI. The net power will be modified as (6),
Open-loop PPOI POI
with PPOI being P*POI, and power reference of DERs will be control
determined by Fig. 2. Qref
Energy storage
*
PPOI = P POI (6) Fig. 3. Tie-line flow control applied to energy storage
*
Pnet = Pwind + PPOI − Pload
However, the dispatch rule for POI power control is an
open-loop control, which may result in error due to the limited
interval of dispatch (cannot be very small), the variation of Δf ≤ 0.1 Hz
DERs during the interval and the preciseness of the power Δθ < 0.6 deg &
measurement. For such, a closed-loop POI power control is ΔV ≤ 0.03 pu
adopted, as shown in Fig. 3. Power through POI is measured
Fig. 4. Synchronization check for reconnection
and compared with P*POI. The error is then sent to a PI
controller and set as the power reference of BESS. Therefore, _+

PQ pq BESS
the power reference of ESS based on dispatch rules will be K1 K2
control PQref
_
+
replaced. However, if the SoC or power of ESS comes to limit, K6
PI
Inner Inverter
power reference of ESS should follow dispatch rules in Fig. 2. K3 K5
controller and filter
PI
Vf Vdq ,ref +_ +_
3) Control Strategy in Transition Process control
K4
vdq _ idq
Vd
+

Planned islanding is composed of three steps: (1) Adjust +

TVR
generation to meet power constraint of breakder (ideally zero)
by setting P*POI=0; (2) Open breaker when power through POI Fig. 5 Vf and PQ control with seamless transition feature

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 vabc ω PLL TABLE I. POWER/ENERGY RATINGS OF MICROGRID ASSETS
PLL
θ PLL
0 ω PLL

Selector
Selector
θ inv Load/ Generator Min Value Max Value
≤0 ++ ωinv
Reset θ ref ωref Real power of curtailable load 50 kW 400 kW
ωref ³
Real power of critical load 220 kW 220 kW
Real power of battery storage -300 kW 300 kW
Fig. 6. Phase angle saving and selection during transition
SoC of battery storage 20% (300 kWh) 90% (300 kWh)
Island event detected, obtain
Pdiesel , PPOI ,Diesel ON/OFF
state before islanding WTG 0 kW 300 kW
Diesel generator 64 kW 320 kW
Y PPOI ≥ 0 N

IV. TESTING OF THE MICROGRID CONTROL SYSTEM

PPOI + Pdiesel (i − 1) < Pds,max PPOI + Pdiesel (i − 1) ≥ Pds ,min
Y N
Although there are at least 13 cases for steady-state
N Y
dispatch, 8 cases for emergency dispatch in unplanned
Is diesel OFF or Is diesel OFF or Is diesel OFF or Is diesel OFF or
tds ,ON ≥ tds ,min
islanding, and more cases if planned islanding and
tds ,ON ≥ tds ,min tds ,ON ≥ tds ,min tds ,ON ≥ tds ,min
Y Y Y Y
reconnection are considered, only three typical and general
scenarios are considered for microgrid control system testing
N
Pload _ shed = PPOI
Pdiesel (i ) = Pdiesel (i − 1)
N
Pload _ shed = PPOI
Pdiesel (i ) = Pdiesel (i − 1)
N Pload _ shed = − PPOI
Pdiesel (i ) = Pdiesel (i − 1)
N Pload _ shed = − PPOI
Pdiesel (i ) = Pdiesel (i − 1)
in this paper [18]. As shown in Table II, in scenario A, SoC is
in normal range while Pnet is negative; in scenario B, SoC is
Pload _ shed = 0 Pload _ shed = PPOI + Pdiesel (i − 1) − Pds ,min Pwind _ cur = 0 Pwind _ cur = Pdiesel (i − 1) + PPOI − Pdiesel below lower limit while Pnet is negative; in scenario C, SoC is
Pdiesel (i ) = PPOI + Pdiesel (i − 1) Pdiesel (i ) = Pds ,max Pdiesel (i) = Pdiesel (i − 1) + PPOI Pdiesel (i) = Pds ,min above higher limit while Pnet is positive.
Fig. 7. Emergency dispatch rules for unplanned islanding
TABLE II. INITIAL CONDITIONS FOR MGCS TESTS
until emergency dispatch is finished. Otherwise, this may Diesel
overload BESS since it will pick up all the PPOI after islanding, SoC of Wind Load generator
if transferred to Vf control first. Scenario BESS Speed power ON time
A 50% 10 m/s 1.5 p.u. <20 min
III. IMPLEMENTATION OF MICROGRID CONTROL SYSTEM AND B 19.5% 10 m/s 1.5 p.u. <20 min
CHIL TESTBED
C 90.5% 12 m/s 0.82 p.u. OFF
As shown in Fig. 8, microgrid control system is
implemented within a hardware microgrid controller. The A. Brief Test of the MGCS Dispatch in Grid-connected
microgrid model is running in real-time simulator, with Mode
average model of power converters employed to significantly In the case of Fig. 9(a), microgrid is under scenario A, but
improve computational speed. The required signals of the PPOI control is not adopted. Initially, the power reference of
microgrid (PPOI, power output of DERs, SoC of BESS, diesel generator is 0.5 p.u, while that of BESS is 0 p.u. At
frequency & voltage over breaker) are transmitted to the t=41s, dispatch rule in Fig. 2 is enabled. Although power can
centralized microgrid control system. Control commands are be balanced without the diesel generator, it is not turned off
sent back to the modeled breaker and DER primary controls. immediately due to constraint of minimum ON time (20 min),
At the preliminary stage of implementing the control strategy, so its power is decreased from 0.5 p.u. to the minimum output
analog input and output blocks are used to interface microgrid power (0.2 p.u.). Without PPOI control, the power fluctuation
controller with real-time simulator, thus reducing the potential of load and WTG will all be reflected on PPOI.
delay of other communication means such as GOOSE
In Fig. 9 (b), the initial state is the same, but the proposed
messaging. TCP/TP communication is used to connect host
dispatch and tie-line flow control is enabled at t=41s, with
computer with hardware microgrid controller. The control
P*POI=0.2 p.u. Besides adjusting the power reference of diesel
strategy is validated on a 600 V, 60 Hz three-phase AC
generator, power of BESS will change from 0 p.u. to 0.6 p.u.
microgrid, with base power being 320 kVA. Capacity of the
due to tie-line flow control. The oscillation during the
assets are shown in Table II. The time step for real-time
transient is mitigated with transient virtual resistor (TVR).
simulation is 50 us. The interval for steady state dispatch is
100ms, considering highly fluctuant wind/load profile. The
interval for transition function is 100 us.

Fig. 8. Test-bench of the real-time microgrid control system (a)

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 (b)
(b)

(c)
(c)
Fig. 9. Simulation results of operation in grid-connected mode. (a) Without
tie-line flow control under Scenario A. (b) Under Scenario A and dispatch Fig. 10. Results of operation in islanded mode. (a) Under Scenario A and
with tie-line flow control is enabled at t=41s. (c) Under Scenario B and dispatch enabled at t=135s. (b) Under Scenario B and dispatch enabled at
dispatch is enabled at t=41s. t=135s. (c) Under Scenario C and dispatch enabled at t=146s.

In Fig. 9 (c), microgrid is under scenario B where BESS In Fig. 10(b), microgrid is under Scenario B. To avoid
cannot be charged to control power through POI. This will be continuing discharging of BESS, power generation of diesel
instead fulfilled by dispatching diesel generator and generator will be increased. Load shedding is employed at
curtailable load. In the considered case, power reference of moments when diesel generator is to be overloaded (1.0 p.u.).
diesel generator is adjusted from 0.5 p.u. to around 0.8 p.u. Notice that the power of load will bounce back since the Pnet
Due to open-loop dispatch, the power through POI cannot be can be balanced by diesel generator after curtailable load is
strictly controlled at 0.2 p.u, but have small error. This can be shed, and after that load shedding will take place again, thus
further reduced by applying tie-line flow control to diesel forming a cyclical process. The power output of ESS will be
generator, which will be the subject of future work. almost zero and SoC is expected to be kept constant. However,
because the dispatch is not a closed-loop control, and
B. Brief Test of the MGCS Dispatch in Islanded Mode implemented within intervals 100ms, the power of ESS cannot
The energy storage serves as grid forming device in be strictly controlled at zero.
islanded mode. At t=135s, dispatch rules are enabled. In Fig. In Fig. 10(c), microgrid is under Scenario C. Since SoC of
10 (a), microgrid is under initial conditions A. The power BESS is below minimum threshold, over-charging of ESS
reference of diesel generator is changed to 0.2 p.u., due to the should be avoided. Because diesel generator is turned off, this
minimum ON time and emission reduction requirement. The will be fulfilled by wind curtailment, as observed at t=146s
energy storage will output power to maintain power balance, when ESS tends to charge.
then its SoC will decrease. The voltage at POI decreases due
to the reduction of diesel generation. C. Test of Transition function
1) Planned islanding
In Fig. 11(a), microgrid is under Scenario A. Diesel
generator outputs the minimum real power (0.2 p.u.) before
islanding. By applying tie-line flow control to BESS and
setting the P*POI at zero, the power through POI is controlled
to be smaller than the minimum threshold (0.0005 p.u.) at
t=70.61s. After that, an island is created by opening the
breaker at POI. ESS switches to Vf control after the breaker is
open. There is small power disturbance at POI since the
breaker of each phase opens asynchronously at the current
zero-crossing point. Power of DERs have small change due to
voltage drop at POI after islanding. Since the results under
Scenario B is similar, they are not presented. By observing the
(a)

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 2) Reconnection
For reconnection, frequency reference of ESS is adjusted
to 59.8 Hz and the amplitude of voltage at POI is controlled to
be within acceptable range (voltage error over breaker is
within +/-5% p.u.). In Fig. 12 (a), the microgrid is initially
under Scenario A. Output power of diesel generator is slightly
increased from the minimum output (0.2 p.u.) to 0.38 p.u, due
to the f-P droop control adopted. The phase angle difference
over the breaker will automatically change due to the
frequency difference on both side. At t=93.7s, synchronization
criterion is met, the breaker at POI is closed (Breaker state
turns from 1 to 0), and BESS switches from Vf control to PQ
control, with reference being zero. The diesel generator
returns to its normal output at 0.2 p.u. while the power through
POI increases from 0 to 0.6 p.u., before the tie-line control is
re-enabled. The reconnection is almost seamless, as shown in

(a)

(a)

(b)

Fig. 11. Results of planned islanding. (a) Under Scenario A with islanding
occurs at t=70.61s. (b) Under Scenario C with islanding occurs at t=70.045s.

current and voltage waveform, the islanding process is

seamless, because the initial current reference and phase angle
before and after islanding keep unchanged due to the
techniques adopted in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6.
In Fig. 11(b), microgrid is under Scenario C. The dispatch
rules in Fig .2 can control PPOI approximately at zero.
However, to control PPOI exactly at zero for planned islanding,
closed-loop control is applied to ESS, even though in steady-
state, such closed-loop control will not be adopted. Therefore,
it will still output small amount of power. After island is
created at t=70.045s, ESS will switch from PQ control to Vf
control. The power reference of diesel generator, WTG and
load almost remain almost unchanged in the islanding process. (b)
However, there is small change of power from load and ESS, Fig. 12. Results of reconnection process. (a) Under Scenario A with
due to the change of voltage at POI after islanding. reconnection at t=93.7s. (b) Under Scenario C with connection at t=93.1s.

2078
current and voltage waveform. The small oscillation of power In Fig. 13 (a), microgrid is under Scenario B where PPOI is
is due to synchronization of diesel generator with utility grid. initially controlled at 0.5 p.u (import from utility grid).
According to Fig. 7, the power mismatch will be picked up by
In Fig. 12 (b), the microgrid is under Scenario C. The the diesel generator. After that, ESS will change to Vf control
reconnection is achieved by adjusting the frequency reference mode, and its output power in steady state remain the same
of ESS, in similar to Scenario A. After reconnection at after islanding. It is critical that emergency dispatch occurs
t=93.1s, the power through POI increases from 0 to 0.12 p.u. earlier before ESS transits to Vf control, to avoid possible
Tie-line flow control can be re-enabled after reconnection. In overloading of ESS. An interval of 50 ms is added between
the entire process, the diesel generator is off and there is no the two control actions in the considered case. Though the
oscillation in the synchronization process. interval is large, the voltage and frequency deviation is not
3) Unplanned islanding large due to the grid-supporting function provided by the
An unplanned islanding event occurs at t=130s. After that, droop-controlled diesel generator.
PPOI will be reduced to zero immediately. Upon islanding In Fig. 13 (b), microgrid is under Scenario C where PPOI is
event detected, emergency dispatch as Fig. 7 will be initially controlled at 0.4 p.u (import from utility grid). Diesel
implemented. generator is turned off before islanding, while WTG is initially
in wind curtailment to control PPOI. After islanding, Pnet turns
to be positive (ESS tends to discharge). However, based on
the dispatch rules in Fig. 7, the power of ESS remain
unchanged before and after islanding. To maintain power
balance after islanding, the WTG will change from wind
curtailment mode to MPPT mode, while curtailable load will
be shed. Because diesel generator is unavailable, there is large
voltage deviation upon islanding, compared to Scenario B,
although a much smaller delay time (2ms) is added between
emergency dispatch and control mode transition of ESS.

D. Test of Dispatch Function in Longer Time Scale

The dispatch function is validated for a long time
simulation. A case with load more than wind generation is
studied. To focus on steady-state dispatch, a small ramping
rate of wind generation and load is assumed. The dispatch
interval is 5 min and no grid disconnection/reconnection event
happens during the whole process.

(a)

(a)

(b) (b)

Fig. 13. Simulation results of unplanned islanding at t=130s. (a) Under Fig. 14. Simulation results of dispatch function. (a) In islanded mode. (b) In
Scenario B. (b) Under Scenario C. grid-connected mode.

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 In Fig. 14(a), microgrid is in islanded mode and dispatch [4] A. Yamane and S. Abourida, "Real-time simulation of distributed
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reduced to 0, so its SoC will not decrease. The battery storage [6] J. Wang, Y. Song, W. Li, J. Guo and A. Monti, "Development of a
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