Optimal Operation of Multi-Microgrids Using Stochastic Distributed Energy Management Approach Considering the Risk of Microgrid Islanding

Microgrids (MGs) have lately received significant attention from researchers as a contemporary solution to better employ the high penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) to enhance energy sustainability. They can improve the reliability, resilience, and security of distribution systems. However, a distributed energy management framework is required for the optimal operation of distribution systems with multiple microgrids, given the limited communication between the distribution system operator (DSO) and the microgrid operators. Moreover, distribution systems are unbalanced in nature due to the unbalanced connected loads. Thus, modeling the unbalanced power flow in distributed energy management is essential to ensuring the feasibility of operational decisions. This paper proposes a distributed algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) for optimal operation of distribution systems with multi-microgrids, accounting for uncertainty in demand, RESs, and MG operation modes, as well as unbalanced power flow. A modified IEEE 34-bus distribution system with six microgrids is used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed distributed energy management framework can achieve high solution accuracy with limited information shared among operators, as demonstrated in the case study, providing results comparable to those of the centralized energy management approach, with an insignificant 0.24% error in total operating cost. Moreover, numerical results show that compared with the distribution system and microgrids with forecasted loads and PV outputs under normal operation, the proposed stochastic model yields a 0.56% higher total expected operating cost due to uncertainty in load and PV power outputs. When probabilistic MG islanding operation is considered, the total expected operating cost of the distribution system decreases by 1.03% compared with the stochastic solution under normal operation due to the microgrids’ disconnection from the distribution system during islanding in a few scenarios, hence relieving the distribution system of excessive load.