PrismTech - Distributed Autonomous Microgrid Control

The next generation of energy grids will need to adopt new approaches for the integration of distributed grid-edge devices and equipment from many different manufacturers to realize operational benefits. Existing systems that were designed to support a small number of large generation facilities will be faced with the need to integrate an increasing number of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as wind, solar and electricity storage into existing power generation and distribution networks.

A new architecture for microgrid control is needed to deliver benefits that are not sufficiently met by existing utility infrastructure, including scalable data and information management, near real-time response times, enhanced situational awareness, interchangeability, distributed control, greater energy efficiency and reduced total cost of ownership. In 2013, US utility giant Duke Energy formed the “Coalition of the Willing”(COW), a consortium of grid technology vendors focused on the promotion and adoption of an Open Architecture approach to standardizing the way gridedge technologies are integrated together. All COW members must implement interoperable communication protocols that conform to open standards. These protocols must also conform to the Common Information Model (CIM) utility standard. The protocols are used as the basis of a common communication backbone called the “Field Message Bus” which is used to connect edgedevices via standardized nodes deployed by Duke Energy. The core communication protocol that must be supported is the Object Management Group’s Data Distribution Service for Real-time Systems (DDS) standard. DDS implementations including PrismTech’s Vortex are being used by the consortium to provide a high performance, fault tolerant, secure, real-time interoperable data connectivity layer between microgrids and centralized management systems. DDS can be used to unify operational control for the edge-grid devices and enable substation automation, while at the same time making important real-time data available to the centralized systems

• [Efficiency Improvement - Issue Response]
  The reduction in feedback control reaction time allows for the system to react dynamically to any sudden changes such as as a sudden drop in the wind powering a farm of turbines.The distributed management system can automatically and in real-time respond to sudden changes and effect the appropriate correcting measures.
• [Efficiency Improvement - Operation]
  The system is helping address the key issue of intermittent availability of supply when deploying renewables as part of an integrated generation system.

• Distributed Autonomous Microgrid Control has the ability to reduce the feedback control process from minutes to less than 10 seconds.