A novel islanding detection method for microgrids based on variable impedance insertion

•We propose a novel islanding detection method (IDM) based on local measurements.•The IDM is based on variable impedance at the low voltage side of the grid.•The IDM is effected by an intelligent agent into the Microgrid's Central switch.•Both simulation and hardware studies show the satisfying...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electric power systems research 2015-04, Vol.121, p.58-66
Main Authors: Papadimitriou, C.N., Kleftakis, V.A., Hatziargyriou, N.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agents
Islanding detection method
Microgrids
Nοn detectiοn zοne (NDZ)
Smart grids
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Summary:•We propose a novel islanding detection method (IDM) based on local measurements.•The IDM is based on variable impedance at the low voltage side of the grid.•The IDM is effected by an intelligent agent into the Microgrid's Central switch.•Both simulation and hardware studies show the satisfying performance of the IDM.•The IDM is simple, low cost and applicable in real systems with many inverters. Islanding is the situation in which part of the power grid, consisting of load and distributed generation (DG) is isolated from the utility grid remaining active, i.e. serving load. The idea of islanding parts of the distribution network in case of faults, in order to increase the consumer quality of service, is the basic notion behind the formation of Microgrids. In the context of Microgrids, it becomes necessary to distinguish between intended islanding e.g. due to maintenance and unintended islanding due to faults at the upstream grid. When the emergency situation ceases, the Microgrid should reconnect seamlessly to the upper grid. In this paper, an islanding detection method (IDM) is proposed that is based on the insertion of a suitable, variable impedance at the low voltage side of the Grid. Islanding detection is effected by an intelligent agent embedded into the Microgrid's Central switch, which is transformed to a hybrid automatic transfer switch (HATS). The HATS agent detects the operation mode of the Microgrid based on local measurements and supervises the grid status. Both simulation studies and hardware laboratory tests are presented showing the performance and feasibility of the proposed method.
ISSN:0378-7796
1873-2046
DOI:10.1016/j.epsr.2014.12.004