Microgrid control issues

Abstract

The evolution from the existing energy system based on fossil fuels to a new scheme with high penetration of renewable energy and electric transport systems introduces new challenges in architecture, control, and management of the electrical grid. This situation demands new schemes for the future electricity grids, where distributed generation, demand response, and energy storage systems may be easily integrated. The novel paradigm of microgrid that intends to provide a solution to these issues is presented in this chapter. The new control challenges that appear in microgrids are introduced, proposing Model Predictive Control (MPC) as a powerful tool to face them. This chapter presents an overview of the main topics on automatic operation and control of microgrids that will be tackled along the book, showing the most appropriate MPC technique to deal with them.