Planning, Operation, and Protection of Microgrids: An Overview

The significance of microgrids is growing rapidly. Microgrids have a huge potential in boosting the sustainable growth. A microgrid can operate in grid-connected or islanded mode. In islanded mode, microgrids can provide electricity to the rural areas with lower cost and minimum power losses. In grid-connected mode, microgrids can help in supporting the main grid in many ways with voltage control, frequency control, and can provide more flexibility, control, and reliability. However, successful operation of a microgrid requires proper planning and there are major challenges regarding the operation, control, and protection of microgrids that need to be tackled for successful deployment of microgrids. Depending on the mode of operation (grid connected mode or islanded mode), necessary control strategies and protection schemes are required. Several methods have been proposed in the literature for the successful operation of a microgrid. This paper presents an overview of the major challenges and their possible solutions for planning, operation, and control of islanded operation of a microgrid.