J Electr Eng Technol.

2015; 10(2): 452-464 ISSN(Print) 1975-0102

http://dx.doi.org/10.5370/JEET.2015.10.2.452 ISSN(Online) 2093-7423

DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability

Using DC Bus Signaling

Pyeong-Ik Hwang*, Gilsoo Jang*, Gi-Chan Pyo**, Byung-Moon Han***,

Seung-Il Moon§ and Seon-Ju Ahn†

Abstract - This paper proposes a DC microgrid operational strategy and control method for improved
service reliability. The objective is to supply power to as many non-critical loads as possible, while
providing an uninterrupted power supply to critical loads. The DC bus signaling method, in which DC
voltage is an information carrier, is employed to implement the operational strategy in a decentralized
manner. During grid-connected operation, a grid-tied converter balances the power of the microgrid by
controlling the DC voltage. All loads are connected to the microgrid, and operate normally. During
islanded operation, distributed generators (DGs), a backup generator, or an energy storage system
balances the power. However, some non-critical loads may be disconnected from the microgrid to
ensure the uninterrupted power supply to critical loads. For enhanced service reliability, disconnected
loads can be automatically reconnected if certain conditions are satisfied. Control rules are proposed
for all devices, and detailed microgrid operational modes and transition conditions are then discussed.
Additionally, methods to determine control parameter settings are proposed. PSCAD/EMTDC
simulation results demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of the proposed operational strategy
and control method.

Keywords: Autonomous operation, DC bus signaling, DC microgrid, Decentralized operation

1. Introduction and batteries. The DC/AC and AC/DC conversion systems

required in an AC microgrid can be eliminated in a DC
In recent years, distributed generator (DG) technology microgrid. Therefore, the efficiency of energy conversion
has emerged as a solution to energy and environmental is increased, and the implementation cost and system size
problems, such as global warming, depletion of fossil fuel are reduced. Moreover, synchronization and reactive power
resources, and growth of energy demand [1, 2]. Although problems, which are inherent drawbacks of an AC grid, do
DGs offer many advantages to a power system, they can not occur in a DC microgrid [8, 9].
cause problems such as voltage rise and protection issues Operational methods for DC microgrids are divided
as DG penetration increases [3]. The concept of a into centralized and decentralized methods. In a centralized
microgrid has been proposed to solve these problems [4]. operational method, energy sources and loads are
A microgrid is defined as an independent distribution controlled by a central control system, and thus a fast
network comprising various DGs, energy storage systems communication system is necessary due to the low inertia
(ESSs), and controllable loads [5]. (determined by the capacity of the capacitors in the DC
There are two different microgrid concepts: the AC microgrid). With this type of operational method, it is easy
microgrid and the DC microgrid. Most systems adopt the to implement various operational strategies, and to achieve
AC microgrid concept, because it can utilize existing AC optimal operation of a DC microgrid. However, the
grid technologies, protection schemes, and standards [6, 7]. implementation cost is increased, and the reliability of the
However, the DC microgrid concept has been introduced as system is degraded by the communication system [10].
the more suitable interconnection concept for DC loads and Various operational strategies and control methods have
DC output DGs, such as photovoltaic systems, fuel cells, been proposed for centralized operational methods [9,
11-13]. In [13], a voltage clamp control was proposed
† Corresponding Author: Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Chonnam to overcome the degradation of reliability caused by the
National University, Korea. (sjahn@jnu.ac.kr)
* School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Korea. (hpi@ communication system. In a decentralized operational
powerlab.snu.ac.kr, gjang@korea.ac.kr) method (also known as an autonomous operational
** Machinery & Electric System Team, Samsung Heavy Industries, method), the energy sources and loads change their states
Korea. (pyogichan@gmail.com)
*** Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Myongji University, Korea.
and operate according to their terminal quantities, and thus
(erichan@mju.ac.kr) a communication system is not indispensable. Therefore,
§ School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Seoul reliability is improved and the implementation cost can be
National University, Korea. (moonsi@plaza.snu.ac.kr) reduced, in comparison to a centralized operational method
Received: August 7, 2013; Accepted: September 4, 2014

452 Copyright ⓒ The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc/3.0/)which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 Pyeong-Ik Hwang, Gilsoo Jang, Gi-Chan Pyo, Byung-Moon Han, Seung-Il Moon and Seon-Ju Ahn

[10]. Moreover, a decentralized method can be used as a

backup control method for a centralized method, when
the communication and / or central control system are
unavailable. A power-sharing method among energy sources,
based on a droop control, was proposed and analyzed in
[14]. An operational method for a DC microgrid with
variable, non-dispatchable generators and an ESS was
proposed in [15], and a frequency-response study and Fig. 1. Simplified DC microgrid
experimental results were reported in [16]. A load-control
method based on the voltage level of the DC bus was
VVCES1 VVCES2 VLD
proposed in [17] to ensure a reliable power supply for Vref1
high-priority loads. DC bus signaling (DBS) was proposed
in [10] as a power-sharing method among energy sources. Zone 1

In DBS, the DC voltage level is utilized as an information Vref2 Zone 2

carrier. A DBS-based operational method for integrating
T1 T2 Time
modular photovoltaic (PV) generation systems with battery
energy storage, and a PV voltage controller was presented (a) DC voltages
in [18, 19]. In these studies, the normal operating state of
the PV was maximum power point tracking (MPPT), but
the PV operated in a voltage control mode if its power PVCES1,rating
output was greater than the loads, and thus was forced to PVCES1 PVCES2
decrease its output to balance the active power of the DC
microgrid.
We focus on a DC microgrid that ensures an un- T1 T2 Time
interrupted power supply to sensitive and critical loads. (b) Output power of the VCESs
Even though high reliability is required for such a DC
microgrid, few researchers have proposed an operational Fig. 2. Operational characteristics of the simplified DC
method based on the decentralized concept [10, 17]. microgrid when the load increases gradually
Moreover, the reconnection of the disconnection load,
which is essential to improve service reliability, has rarely independently control the DC voltage with different
been considered. In this paper, a DBS-based operational reference voltages. According to the kind of voltage
strategy, state control method of the backup generator, and controller used for the dispatchable energy sources, DBS
disconnection rule of the non-critical loads are proposed methods are divided into two types: current-versus-voltage
for an uninterrupted power supply to the critical loads. (V-I) droop control [10] and proportional-integral (PI)
The reconnection rule of the non-critical load is also control [18]. In this study, PI control is utilized to
proposed to improve service reliability of non-critical implement the proposed operational strategy.
loads. The remainder of the paper is divided into six A simplified DC microgrid with two voltage-controlling
sections. In Section 2, the DBS concept is described, energy sources (VCESs) and a load, shown in Fig. 1, is
and its characteristics are analyzed using a simplified used to analyze the operational characteristics of the PI-
system. Section 3 presents the proposed DC microgrid control-based DBS method. Fig. 2 illustrates how the
operational strategy for enhanced service reliability, as DC voltage and the power output of each VCES change
well as control rules for all devices to implement this when the load increases gradually. It is assumed that the
operational strategy. In Section 4, detailed DC microgrid reference voltage of VCES 1 (Vref1) is higher than that of
operational modes and transition conditions are discussed. VCES 2 (Vref2), and that power is initially supplied to the
The determination methods for the control parameters are load by VCES 1.
presented in Section 5. In Section 6, the effectiveness of As Fig. 2(a) indicates, because of line resistance, DC
the proposed operational strategy and state control method voltages are not constant, but are maintained within
are validated by PSCAD/EMTDC simulations. Finally, certain ranges. The operational ranges of DC voltages are
Section 7 contains concluding remarks. classified into two zones: Zone 1 and Zone 2. Prior to time
T1, power is supplied to the increasing load by VCES 1,
and the DC voltages are maintained near Vref1 (Zone 1).
2. DC Bus Signaling Since the power output of VCES 1 reaches its power rating
(PVCES1,rating) at T1, VCES 1 cannot increase its power
DBS utilizes DC voltage as an information carrier for output any further to control the DC voltage. Between
power sharing among dispatchable energy sources in a times T1 and T2, the increasing load is supplied with the
DC power system. The dispatchable energy sources energy stored in the capacitors, and thus the DC voltage

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 DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability Using DC Bus Signaling

decreases. At time T2, the terminal DC voltage of VCES 2 connected operation, the BG is switched off, due to its high
reaches Vref2. After time T2, VCES 2 starts supplying power generation cost. If an outage occurs in the AC grid, the DC
to control the DC voltage, as shown in Fig. 2(b), and the microgrid is disconnected from the AC grid and initiates
DC voltages are maintained in Zone 2. islanded operation. During islanded operation, the DGs, BG,
From this analysis, we can derive three important and/or ESS supply power to the loads according to the load
operational characteristics of the PI-controller-based DBS demand.
method. Firstly, the generation priority of the VCESs can For uninterrupted power supply to all loads, the power
be arranged by setting the reference voltages differently. ratings of the GTC, BG, and ESS should all be greater than
The VCES with the highest reference voltage initially the maximum power consumption of the loads. However,
supplies power to the loads. Secondly, there are specific this is not appropriate from an economic perspective. In
operational zones for the DC voltages, depending on the this study, we assume that the power rating of the GTC
reference voltages of the VCESs. Finally, the operational (PGTC,rating) is greater than both the maximum power
reserves of the VCESs can be estimated in terms of the consumption of the loads and the total power rating of
DC voltage; i.e., the minimum values of the upward and DGs:
downward power reserves can be determined for each
operational zone. The upward / downward power reserve
of the microgrid is defined as the sum of the increasable/
PGTC ,rating > max {å P
i
LD ,max,i , åP
j
DG , rating , j
} (1)
reducible power margins of the VCESs. For example, if
where PLD,max,i and PDG,rating,j are the maximum power
the DC voltage is maintained in Zone 2, the power output
consumption of load i and the rated power output of DG j,
of VCES 1 is its power rating, and that of VCES 2 is
respectively. On the other hand, the power ratings of the
unknown. Therefore, the minimum upward power reserve
BG (PBG,rating) and the ESS (PESS,rating) are only greater than
is zero, and the minimum downward power reserve is the
the maximum power consumption of the critical loads to
power rating of VCES 1. The last characteristic is very
ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the critical loads:
important in the implementation of the proposed strategy
since the loads and DGs can estimate the states of the
VCESs only in terms of the measured DC voltage. PBG , rating , PESS , rating > å PCLD ,max,i (2)
i

where PCLD,max,i is the maximum power consumption of

3. Operational Strategy and Control Rules for critical load i. Since it takes time for the BG to detect
Devices islanded operation and start generation, the ESS should be
capable of supplying its rated power during this period:
Fig. 3 shows the configuration of a typical DC microgrid
including critical loads. Power is supplied to the loads from Emax - Emin > (TBG , on + TBG , start ) PESS , rating (3)
the AC grid via the grid-tied converter (GTC), ESS, backup
generator (BG), and DGs. In this study, the DGs are where Emax and Emin are operational maximum and
assumed to be partially dispatchable generators that can minimum limits of the energy stored in the ESS,
control the DC voltage by only reducing the power outputs respectively. TBG,on is the time that takes to detect islanded
[18, 19]. The loads are divided into critical and non-critical operation, and TBG,start is the minimum startup time of the
loads according to their importance. The operational BG. It is assumed that the power and energy capacities of
objective of the DC microgrid is to supply uninterrupted the ESS are slightly greater than the minimum conditions
power to the critical loads. given by (2) and (3) to reduce cost.
A DC microgrid is normally connected to an AC grid With these energy source ratings, power can be supplied
(i.e., grid-connected operation). During normal grid- to all loads during grid-connected operation. However,
during islanded operation, power can only be supplied to
the critical loads and some of the non-critical loads. The
objective of the proposed operational strategy is to provide
uninterrupted power to the critical loads, while shedding
the minimum number of non-critical loads during islanded
operation.

3.1 Power sharing with DBS

As explained in Section 2, the priority among VCESs in

supplying power is determined by the reference voltages.
For the economic operation, the DGs have the highest
Fig. 3. Configuration of a DC microgrid priority. In order to maintain power supplies to the loads

454 │ J Electr Eng Technol.2015; 10(2): 452-464

 Pyeong-Ik Hwang, Gilsoo Jang, Gi-Chan Pyo, Byung-Moon Han, Seung-Il Moon and Seon-Ju Ahn

and the DC voltage may be controlled in Zone 1 or Zone 4.

In this case, there is no need to start the BG. To prevent
such unnecessary BG startups, TBG,on is assigned a value
slightly greater than the minimum fault duration that
causes a transition to islanded operation (Tfault,min).

- BG on rule:

Vdc Î {Zone 1 U Zone 4} for TBG , on > T fault , min (5)

Fig. 4. Operational zones and corresponding VCESs
If the fault is eliminated and the DC microgrid is
for as long as possible during islanded operation, the reconnected to the AC grid, the BG will be switched off.
energy stored in the ESS should be kept as close as However, the BG switch-off should be postponed until the
possible to its maximum during grid-connected operation. ESS is replenished to specific level. Otherwise, some
Therefore, in normal grid-connected operation, the GTC critical loads may be interrupted in the unlikely event that
has the second priority and balances the power mismatch the DC microgrid is islanded once again. However, since
between the loads and DGs, while the BG is switched off the BG cannot estimate the exact state of the ESS, we
and the ESS is idle and at full capacity. Since the stored propose the most conservative rule for switching off the
energy in the ESS is limited, it is reasonable for the BG to BG. The BG can be switched off if the DC voltage remains
preferentially supply power to the loads in the islanded in Zone 2 for the specified time period (TBG,off) required to
operation. Therefore, the third priority is given to the BG, bring the ESS to full charge (Emax) from its minimum
and the ESS provides power to the DC microgrid only if energy (Emin).
the other energy sources are unable to supply power to the - BG off rule:
loads.
Fig. 4 summarizes the power-sharing principle, showing Emax - Emin
the operational zones and corresponding VCESs: Vdc Î Zone 2 for TBG , off > (6)
PESS , rating
* * * *
VDGs > VGTC > VBG > VESS (4)
3.3 State control of non-critical loads
where V*DGs, * *
V GTC, V BG, and V*ESS
denote the reference During islanded operation, the DC voltage decreases
voltages of the DGs, GTC, BG, and ESS, respectively. The when the energy sources have insufficient power to control
DC voltage is normally maintained in Zone 2 during grid- the DC voltage [15]. In such conditions, non-critical loads
connected operation, and in Zone 1, Zone 3, or Zone 4 should be disconnected from the DC microgrid to prevent
during islanded operation. Even though all DGs have same total system collapse. The DC voltage can be also
voltage reference, the loads are automatically shared decreased during transient, even though the energy sources
among the DGs by the line resistances in Zone 1 [14]. have enough power to supply the loads. In order to avoid
With the proposed power-sharing principle, the ESS can the unnecessary disconnection in such transient low
automatically recover stored energy if other energy sources voltage conditions, a non-critical load is disconnected if the
are able to supply power to the loads. If the remaining DC voltage is lower than a specific value (VNLD,discon) for a
power of the other VCESs exceeds the maximum charging specific time (TNLD,discon).
power of the ESS, the DC voltage will be maintained in
Zone 2 (grid-connected operation) and Zone 1 or Zone 3 - Non-critical load disconnection rule:
(islanded operation). Otherwise, all remaining power will
be used to charge the ESS, and the DC voltage will be Vdc < VNLD , discon for TNLD , discon (7)
maintained in Zone 4.
If the DC voltage has returned to the range controllable
3.2 State control of the backup generator by the VCESs, the disconnected non-critical loads should
be reconnected to improve service reliability. During grid-
If the DC microgrid is islanded due to an outage in the connected operation, disconnected non-critical loads can be
AC grid, and thus the DC voltage is maintained in Zone 1 reconnected without any problem because the designed
by the DGs or Zone 4 by the ESS, the BG should start power rating of the GTC is assumed to be sufficient to
generating to improve service reliability. Therefore, if the balance the power. During grid-connected operation, the
DC voltage is maintained in Zone 1 or Zone 4 for a DC voltages are maintained in Zone 2. Therefore, a
specified time period (TBG,on), the BG should start disconnected non-critical load is reconnected to the DC
generating. However, when there is a short fault in the AC microgrid if the DC voltage is maintained in Zone 2 for a
grid, the DC microgrid remains connected to the AC grid, specific time (TNLD,recon).

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 DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability Using DC Bus Signaling

- Non-critical load reconnection rule 1: Based on the minimum power reserve for each zone,
the following reconnection rule for a non-critical load is
Vdc Î Zone 2 for TNLD , recon (8) proposed. If the DC voltage is maintained in Zone 1 or
Zone 3 for a specific time (TNLD,recon), a disconnected non-
However, during islanded operation, inappropriate re- critical load whose maximum power consumption is lower
connection of a non-critical load will cause a disconnection than PESS,rating can be reconnected in islanded operation.
of non-critical loads. For instance, if a non-critical load
is reconnected when the upward power reserve of the DC - Non-critical load reconnection rule 2:
microgrid is smaller than the power consumption of that Vdc Î {Zone 1 U Zone 3} for TNLD , recon (9)
load, the energy sources will be unable to supply power
to all loads, and thus the DC voltage will decrease.
Consequently, the reconnected non-critical load or another
non-critical load will be disconnected. 4. Operational Modes
In order to avoid this type of unexpected situation,
reconnection rules of non-critical loads for islanded The operation of a DC microgrid can be divided into
operation should be developed with respect to the upward grid-connected operation and islanded operation, according
power reserve of the DC microgrid. In other words, a to the state of the GTC. Each operational state can be
disconnected non-critical load can be reconnected only if subdivided into several operation modes, depending on the
the upward power reserve of the DC microgrid is greater power mismatch between generation and loads, and the
than the maximum power consumption of the disconnected states of the VCESs. This section describes the operational
load. Since the power consumption of a load varies modes in detail. Transitions between operational modes
continuously, the maximum power consumption is used as and relevant events are also discussed.
the criterion for reconnection.
Even though the exact values of the upward power 4.1 Modes of grid-connected operation
reserve is not measurable at loads, the minimum power
reserve can be estimated from the measured DC voltage, Fig. 5 shows the detailed operational modes for grid-
as described in Section 2. In Zone 4, the ESS controls the connected operation and the transitions between them. The
DC voltage thus the power output of the ESS is unknown. notation is summarized on the right-hand side of the figure.
And the power outputs of the DGs and BG are their Since the capacity of the GTC is larger than the maximum
maximum power outputs because the reference voltages power output of the DGs, the DC microgrid does not
of them are higher than that of the ESS. Therefore, the operate in Zone 1. There are five different operational
minimum upward power reserve of Zone 4 is zero. When modes, divided into two parts. The first part is general grid-
the DC microgrid operates in Zone 1 or Zone 3, there are connected operation, represented by GM 1. The second
two possible power outputs for the ESS, depending on part pertains to transitions from islanded operation to
the stored energy. If the stored energy has reached its general grid-connected operation, and comprises GM 2,
maximum, the output power of the ESS is zero. Otherwise, GM 3, GM 4, and GM 5. If the ESS is fully charged (i.e.,
the output power of the ESS is -PESS,rating. Therefore, the EESS = Emax), the DC microgrid initiates grid-connected
minimum upward power reserve of Zone 1 and Zone 3 is operation in GM 2, where the ESS and BG operate in
the rated power of the ESS. standby mode. Otherwise, the DC microgrid initiates grid-

Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4

(GTC controls the dc voltage) Mode name
(BG controls the dc voltage) (ESS controls the dc voltage)
-Device name: Operation mode

GM 1
-BG: Off
------------- Device name -----------
-DGs: MPPT BG: Back generator
-ESS: SB
DGs: Distributed generators
ESS: Energy storage system
BG off GTC: Grid-tied converter

GM 2 ----------- Operation mode ----------

-BG: SB
-DGs: MPPT CRP: Charging with rating power
-ESS: SB FR: Full rectification
MG: Maximum generation
EESS = Emax EESS = Emax MPPT: Maximum power point tracking
EESS = Emax
Off: Switched off
GM 3 Pmis < PGTC,rating - PESS,rating GM 4 Pmis < PGTC,rating + PBG,rating - PESS,rating GM 5 On: Switched on
-BG: SB -ESS: CRP -BG: MG
-DGs: MPPT -DGs: MPPT -DGs:MPPT SB: Standby
-ESS: CRP Pmis > PGTC,rating - PESS,rating -GTC: FR -GTC: FR
Pmis > PGTC,rating + PBG,rating - PESS,rating

Fig. 5. Operational modes for grid-connected operation and transitions between them

456 │ J Electr Eng Technol.2015; 10(2): 452-464

 Pyeong-Ik Hwang, Gilsoo Jang, Gi-Chan Pyo, Byung-Moon Han, Seung-Il Moon and Seon-Ju Ahn

connected operation in GM 3, GM 4, or GM 5, depending 5. Parameter Determination Method

on the power mismatch of the DC microgrid (Pmis), which
is defined by In this section, we propose the methods to determine
the control parameter settings, such as the range of
Pmis = PLDs - PDGs , MPPT (10) operational zones, the voltage references for VCESs, and
the disconnection voltages of the non-critical loads. The
where PLDs is the total power consumption of the loads and parameters are determined by solving the optimization
PDGs,MPPT is the total power output of the DGs when all problems (OPs) with the consideration of practical voltage
DGs operate in the MPPT mode. The power charged to the drops.
ESS is its power rating in GM 3 or GM 4, or the maximum
power that ensures an active power balance for the DC 5.1 Operation constraints for each zone
microgrid in GM 5. Once the energy stored in the ESS
reaches its maximum limit, the operational mode of the DC Firstly, constraints of the OPs for each operational zone
microgrid is switched to GM 2. The DC microgrid operates are described. The common operation constraints applied
in GM 2 until the “off” condition for the BG, described in to all operational zones are as follows
(6), is satisfied. Finally, the BG is switched off and the
operational mode of the DC microgrid is changed to the 0 £ PLD ,i £ PLD , max ,i for all load i (11)
general grid-connected operational mode, GM 1. n
Pk - Vk å Gik (Vk - Vi ) = 0 for all bus k (12)
i =1
4.2 Modes of islanded operation
where PLD,i is the power consumption of load i, Pk is the net
Fig. 6 shows the detailed operational modes for islanded
injected power at bus k, Vk is the voltage of bus k, and Gik
operation and the transitions between them. There are ten
is a component of the conductance matrix. The second
different operational modes in this case. In contrast to grid-
constraint, (12), corresponds to the power balance equation.
connected operation, non-critical loads can be disconnected
From Figs. 5 and 6, the constraints for the power output
from the DC microgrid if the DC voltage is outside of the
and terminal voltage of the VCESs can be written as
acceptable range, because the BG, ESS, and DGs lack
follows according to the operational zone.
balancing capability. If islanded operation begins with the
BG switched off, the DC microgrid initially operates in IM
1, IM 2, IM 3, or IM 4 until the BG starts generating. After - Zone 1:
BG startup, the DC microgrid operates in IM 5, IM 6, IM 7, PGTC = PBG = 0 (13)
IM 8, IM 9, or IM 10, depending on the power mismatch PESS = 0 or - PESS , rating (14)
and the energy stored in the ESS. If the power mismatch
increases, the operational mode changes from left to right. 0 £ PDG , j £ PDG , j , rating (15)

Fig. 6. Operational modes for islanded operation and transitions between them

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 DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability Using DC Bus Signaling

*
Vk £ VDGs for k Î S DG (16) Zone 1. Considering the error in voltage measurement, the
* voltage reference for all DGs is determined as
Õ (V
k ÎS DG
k -V
DGs )=0 (17)
*
VDGs = VZone1, max - Verror , max . (34)
- Zone 2:
where Verror,max is the maximum voltage measurement error.
- PGTC , rating £ PGTC £ PGTC , rating (18) With given V*DGs, the minimum voltage of the DC
PBG = 0 (19) microgrid depends on various system conditions, such as
the power output of energy sources and power demand of
PESS = 0 or - PESS , rating (20) loads. The minimum voltage can be found by solving the
0 £ PDG , j £ PDG , j , rating (21) OP given as follows:
*
Vk = V GTC for GTC connected bus k (22)
Minimize f = min Vk (35)
[P] [k ]

- Zone 3:
where P is the set of decision vector of the OP that describe
PGTC = 0 (23) various system conditions, and the constraints are (11)-(17).
0 £ PBG £ PBG , rating (24) With the optimum value of the OP, fopti, the minimum
voltage of Zone 1 (VZone1,min), which is equal to the
PESS = 0 or - PESS , rating (25) maximum voltage of Zone 2 (VZone2,max), is determined as
0 £ PDG , j £ PDG , j , rating (26)
* VZone1, min = VZone 2, max = f opti - Verror , max . (36)
Vk = V BG for BG connected bus k (27)
Unlike V*DGs, V*GTC cannot be directly calculated from
- Zone 4: VZone2,max, since both the GTC and DGs can supply power
into the DC micro-grid in Zone 2. In the proposed method,
PGTC = 0 (28)
V*GTC is calculated by solving an OP iteratively. The
PBG = 0 or PBG , rating (29) objective function of the OP is to maximize the voltage of
- PESS , rating £ PESS £ PESS , rating (30) the DC microgrid for a given V*GTC:
0 £ PDG , j £ PDG , j , rating (31)
Maximize f = max Vk . (37)
* [P] [k ]
Vk = V ESS for ESS connected bus k (32)
In this OP, Eqs. (11), (12), and (18) - (22) are used as
where PGTC, PBG, PESS, and PDG,j are the power outputs of constraints. Initially, V*GTC is set at
the GTC, BG, ESS, and DG j, respectively, and S DG is a
set of DG connected buses. In Zone 1, at least one of the *
VGTC = VZone 2, max - DV (38)
terminal voltages of the DGs should be equal to the
reference voltage and the others should be lower than or
where ΔV is an positive constant. Since the voltage
equal to the reference voltage. This constraint is
measurement error is not considered in the calculated
represented by (16) and (17).
maximum voltage, fopti is compared to VZone2,max - Verror,max.
If fopti is larger than VZone2,max - Verror,max, the voltage of the
5.2 Operation zones and voltage references for VCESs DC microgrid can be measured larger than VZone2,max with
given V*GTC. Therefore, V*GTC is reduced by ΔV and the OP
Firstly, the maximum and minimum operation voltage should be solved again. The voltage ranges of Zones 3 and
ranges of the DC microgrid are assumed to be defined as 4, and the reference voltages of BG and ESS can be
Vdc,max and Vdc,min, respectively. Secondly, it is assumed that determined by similar procedure, as shown in Fig. 7.
the DC voltage should be maintained as high as possible to
reduce the loss of the system. 5.3 Disconnection voltage of the non-critical load
For Zone 1, the maximum voltage is simply set as
Vdc,max: Fig. 8 summarizes the proposed method to determine the
disconnection voltages for the non-critical loads. It is
VZone1, max = Vdc , max . (33) assumed that the list of the order of disconnection among
the non-critical loads or group of loads is given. For the
Since the DGs are the only VCES that supplies the first group of the loads in the list, the disconnection
power into the grid in Zone 1, the reference voltage of the voltage can be determined by (39) considering the voltage
DGs can be set as the same as the maximum voltage of measurement error.

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 Pyeong-Ik Hwang, Gilsoo Jang, Gi-Chan Pyo, Byung-Moon Han, Seung-Il Moon and Seon-Ju Ahn

VNLD ,1, discon = VZone 4, min - Verror , max (39)

The disconnection voltages of the other non-critical loads

or load groups should be set carefully, to guarantee that the
non-critical loads are disconnected in a predetermined
sequence. The difference in the disconnection voltage
settings of two consecutive loads in the list should be larger
than the maximum voltage difference between the buses
where the loads are connected. The maximum voltage
difference (ΔVn-1,n) between the buses where the (n-1)’th
and n’th order loads are connected can be calculated by
solving the OP given by

Maximize f = VNLD , n -1 - VNLD , n (40)

[P]

where VNLD,n-1 and VNLD,n are the voltages of the buses

where the (n-1)’th and n’th order loads are connected.
Using (11) - (32) and (40), maximum voltage differences
for each zone can be calculated. Among them, the largest
values will be used as the maximum voltage difference
between the buses. If the calculated disconnection voltage
setting is lower than the minimum operation voltage of
the DC microgrid, Vdc,min, the disconnection voltage of
the loads should be set as Vdc,min to prevent a severe
undervoltage violation.

Fig. 7. Determination method for ranges of operation zones 6. Simulations and Results
and voltage references for VCESs
In order to demonstrate the performance and validate the
effectiveness of the proposed operational method, we have
simulated various scenarios using the PSCAD/EMTDC
program. In this paper, two simulation results that best
illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed operational
method are presented.

6.1 Test system and scenarios

Fig. 9 shows a single-line diagram of the 400-V DC

microgrid test system, which is connected to an AC system
via a 55-kW GTC. The DC microgrid consists of an ESS, a
BG, two DGs, one critical load, and two non-critical loads.
The power rating of each component and the line resistance
are shown in the figure. In order to easily demonstrate
the effect of the energy stored in the ESS within the
limited simulation time, we assume a small ESS capacity
and a short BG startup time. The energy capacity of the
ESS is 35 kJ, and Emin and Emax are set at 10% and 95%,
respectively. Therefore, the ESS can supply power to the
critical load for 1.5 seconds. The startup time for the
backup generator is assumed to be 0.5 second.
It is assumed that the DC microgrid voltage is maintained
in ±5% range (i.e., Vdc,max = 420V and Vdc,min = 380V). The
Fig. 8. Disconnection voltage calculation for the non- voltage ranges of the operational zones and the reference
critical loads voltages of the VCESs are determined based on the

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 DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability Using DC Bus Signaling

Fig. 9. DC microgrid test system (CLD: critical load, NLD: non-critical load)

Table 1. Voltage ranges of the operational zones and 415

GTC BG ESS DG 1 DG 2 CLD NLD 1 NLD 2
voltage references for the corresponding VCESs 410

Voltage (V)
405
Voltage reference Voltage range (V)
Zone 400
(V) Maximum Minimum 395
1 V*DGs = 419.0 420.0 415.3 390
2 V*GTC = 410.3 415.3 405.3 385
3 V*BG = 402.3 405.3 398.3 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4 V*ESS = 393.3 398.3 389.3 Time (s)

(a) DC voltages of the microgrid

Table 2. Parameters for state control
40
Power output (kW)

Backup generator PGTC PESS PBG

30
TBG,on TBG,off
20
0.6 s 1.5 s
Non-critical load 10
VLD,discon TNLD,discon TNLD,recon 0
NLD 1 388.3 V 0.01 s 0.2 s -10
NLD 2 385.2 V 0.01 s 0.1 s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (s)

Table 3. Initial states for each case (b) Power outputs of the grid-tied converter, energy storage
system, and backup generator
Case 1 Case 2
PGTC 28 kW Off
100
EESS 95% 95%
PBG Off 10 kW 80
EESS(%)

PDG1 9 kW 18 kW 60
PDG2 6 kW 10 kW 40
PCLD 18 kW 18 kW 20
PNLD1 14 kW 14 kW
0
PNLD2 11 kW 6 kW 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (s)
(c) Energy stored in the ESS
proposed method and summarized in Table 1. The state
control parameters for the BG and non-critical loads are 15
listed in Table 2. For Verror,max and ΔV, 1 V was used. The
optimum values of the OPs were found by using a genetic
PNLD1(kW)

10
algorithm [21].
5
The initial states of the components for the two
simulation cases are summarized in Table 3. Case 1 0
demonstrates the islanding sequence of the microgrid, and 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
how power is supplied to the non-critical loads during Time (s)
islanded operation. Case 2 demonstrates the operation (d) Power consumption of non-critical load 1
mode change during islanded operation and the transition
from islanded operation to grid-connected operation. Fig. 10. Simulation results for Case 1

460 │ J Electr Eng Technol.2015; 10(2): 452-464

 Pyeong-Ik Hwang, Gilsoo Jang, Gi-Chan Pyo, Byung-Moon Han, Seung-Il Moon and Seon-Ju Ahn

6.2 Results for case 1 425

GTC BG ESS DG 1 DG 2 CLD NLD 1 NLD 2
420
415

Voltage (V)
Fig. 10 shows the simulation results for Case 1. Initially, 410
the microgrid was connected to the main AC grid and 405
400
operated in GM 1 mode. The DC voltages were maintained 395
in Zone 2 by the GTC. In this simulation, it was assumed 390
that a three-phase fault in the AC grid (see Fig. 9) was 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (s)
initiated at 1.0 s, and GTC was switched off (the DC
(a) DC voltages of the microgrid
microgrid started islanded operation) at 1.5 s.
At 1.0 s, the DC voltage started to decrease since the 50

Power output (kW)

grid fault prevented the GTC from controlling the voltage. 40 PGTC PESS PBG
After a while, the DC voltage decreased to V*ESS, and the 30
20
ESS started supplying power to control the DC voltage. 10
However, even when the ESS power output was at its 0
-10
maximum, the loads could not be fully satisfied by the ESS -20
and DGs. Therefore, the DC voltage continued to decrease. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
After a while, the non-critical load 1 was disconnected Time (s)
because the DC voltage was lower than 388.3 V for 0.01 s. (b) Power outputs of the grid-tied converter, energy storage
After disconnection of this load, the DC voltage was system, and backup generator
controlled by the ESS and maintained in Zone 4. At 1.5 s,
the GTC was switched off and the microgrid was operated 20
PDG1,MPPT
in IM 4 mode.
Power (kW)

15 PDG1
At 2.1 s, i.e. 1.1 s (TBG,on + TBG,start = 1.1) after the fault,
10
the BG started to supply power. Between 2.1 s and 4.2 s,
the BG supplied its maximum power, and the remaining 5
power was used to charge the ESS. During this period, the
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DC voltage was still controlled by the ESS in Zone 4, and Time (s)
the microgrid operational mode was IM 7. At 4.2 s, when (c) Power output of distributed generator 1
the ESS was fully charged, the operational mode of the
microgrid changed to IM 10. The DC voltage was
controlled by the BG in Zone 3. 95

At 4.5 s, it was possible to reconnect non-critical load 1

EESS(%)

90
since load reconnection rule 2 was satisfied (i.e., the DC
voltage was in Zone 3 for 0.2 s). After load reconnection, 85
the ESS started to discharge since the loads could not be
80
fully satisfied by the BG and DGs. Therefore, the DC 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
voltages were in Zone 4, and the operational mode was IM Time (s)
8. This operational status continued until the energy stored (d) Energy stored in the ESS
in the ESS reached its minimum limit and thus the ESS
15
stopped discharging at 8.5 s. At that time, non-critical load
1 was again disconnected since the BG and DGs could not
PNLD1(kW)

10
supply power to all the loads. This same pattern of
disconnection and reconnection would be repeated until 5
other conditions changed. To summarize, the simulation
results for Case 1 demonstrate that the microgrid can be 0
smoothly islanded via the proposed operational strategies. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (s)
Moreover, even though some non-critical loads must be
shed to ensure stable operation, they can be reconnected to (e) Power consumption of non-critical load 1
the microgrid, and thus service reliability is improved. Fig. 11. Simulation results for Case 2

6.3 Results for case 2 in Zone 3). The simulation scenario is as follows.
Fig. 11 shows the simulation results for Case 2. Initially, Ÿ 2.0 s: The power consumption of non-critical load 1
the microgrid was islanded and operated in IM 10 mode (PNLD1) is decreased from 14.0 to 2.0 kW.
(i.e. the ESS was in standby state, the DGs operated in the Ÿ 4.0 s: PNLD1 is increased to 14.0 kW.
MPPT mode, and the DC voltage was controlled by the BG Ÿ 6.0 s: The maximum power output of the DG 1,

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 DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability Using DC Bus Signaling

PDG1,MPPT, decreased from 18.0 to 5.0 kW. operational strategy was verified by PSCAD/EMTDC
Ÿ 8.0 s: The operation mode of the DC microgrid changed simulations. The simulation results showed that service
from islanded operation to grid-connected operation. reliability for non-critical loads can be improved by using
the proposed operational strategies.
When PNLD1 was decreased at 2.0 s, the sum of the loads
became smaller than the power output of the DGs, even
though the BG supplied no power. As a result, the DC Acknowledgements
voltages of the DG1-connected bus started to increase and
reached 419 V, reference voltage, at 2.2 s. Therefore, the This work was partially supported by Korea Institute of
DG 1 controlled the DC voltage by reducing its power Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP)
output as shown in Fig. 11 (c) and the microgrid operated grant funded by Korea Government Ministry of Trade,
in IM 9 mode. Industry and Energy (No. 20123010020080). This work
At 4.0 s, the DGs could not fully supply the loads and was also partially supported by the National Research
the DC voltage started to decrease because PNLD1 increased Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea
to 14.0 kW. After a while, the BG controlled the DC Government (MSIP) (No. 2010-0028509).
voltage and the microgrid operated in IM 10 mode.
When PDG1,MPPT decreased to 5 kW at 6.0 s, the BG and
DGs could not fully satisfy the loads, and thus the DC References
voltages started to decrease. After a while, the DC voltage
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to discharge. Therefore, the microgrid operated in IM 8 distributed energy resources and microgrid,” Renew-
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BG switched off at 9.7 s and thus the operational mode was [3] G. Pepermans, J. Driesen, D. Haeseldonckx, R.
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reliability for non-critical loads. In order to implement the Kang, and S. R. Nam, “Power-sharing method of
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proposed. The detailed operational modes of a DC International Symposium on Power Electronics for
microgrid were described. The methods to determine the Distributed Generation Systems, Hefei, China, June
operational zones, voltage references for VCESs, state 2010.
control parameters for the BG and non-critical load were [8] J. M. Guerrero, J. C. Vasquez, J. Matas, L. G. Vicuna,
proposed. Finally, the performance of the proposed and M. Castilla, “Hierarchical control of droop-con-

462 │ J Electr Eng Technol.2015; 10(2): 452-464

 Pyeong-Ik Hwang, Gilsoo Jang, Gi-Chan Pyo, Byung-Moon Han, Seung-Il Moon and Seon-Ju Ahn

trolled AC and DC microgrids - A general approach 1499-1507, Sept. 2003.

toward standardization,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron, [21] Kwang Y. Lee, Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi, Modern
vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 158-172, Jan. 2011. Heuristic Optimization Techniques, IEEE Press, 2008.
[9] J. H. Lee, H. J. Kim, B. M. Han, Y. S. Jeong, H. S.
Yang, and H. J. Cha, “DC micro-grid operational
analysis with a detailed simulation model for dis-
tributed generation,” Journal of Power Electronics, Pyeong-Ik Hwang He received the B.S.
vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 350-359, May 2011. degree in Science and the integrated
[10] J. Schonberger, R. Duke, and S. D. Round, “DC-bus M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical
signaling: A distributed control strategy for a hybrid Engineering from Seoul National
renewable nanogrid,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron, vol. University, Seoul, Korea in 2006 and
53, no. 5, pp. 1453-1460, Oct. 2006. 2014, respectively. Currently, he is a
[11] D. Salomonsson, L. Soder, and A. Sannino, “An Research Professor at Korea University,
adaptive control system for a dc microgrid for data Seoul, Korea. His research interests are
centers,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Applications, vol. 44, no. 6, distributed energy resources, distribution system operation,
pp. 1910-1917, Nov. 2008. microgrids, and smart grids.
[12] H. Kakigano, Y. Miura, T. Ise, and R. Uchida, “DC
micro-grid for super high quality distribution - System
configuration and control of distributed generations Gilsoo Jang He received the B.S. and
and energy storage devices,” in Proceedings of the M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering
37th Annual IEEE Power Electronics Specialists from Korea University, Seoul, Korea,
Conference, Jeju, Korea, June 2006. in 1991 and 1994, respectively, and the
[13] H. Kakigano, Y. Miura, and T. Ise, “Low-voltage Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Com-
bipolar-type DC microgrid for super high quality puter Engineering from Iowa State
distribution,” IEEE Trans. Power Electronics, vol. 25, University, Ames, in 1997. He was a
no. 12, pp. 3066-3075, Dec. 2010. Visiting Scientist at Iowa State Uni-
[14] Y. Ito, Y. Zhongqing, and H. Akagi, “DC microgrid versity from 1997 to 1998 and a Senior Researcher with
based distribution power generation system,” in Pro- the Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Daejeon,
ceedings of the 4th International Power Electronics Korea, from 1998 to 2000. Currently, he is a Professor in
and Motion Control Conference, Xi’an, China, August the School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University. His
2004. research interests include power quality and power system
[15] L. Xu and D. Chen, “Control and operation of a control.
DC microgrid with variable generation and energy
storage,” IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 26, no. 4,
pp. 2513-2522, Oct. 2011. Gi-Chang Pyo He received the B.S.,
[16] D. Chen and L. Xu, “Autonomous DC voltage con- M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical
trol of a DC microgrid with multiple slack terminals,” Engineering from Seoul National Uni-
IEEE Trans. Power System, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 1897- versity, Korea, in 2004, 2006, and 2013,
1905, Nov. 2012. respectively. Currently, he is a senior
[17] W. Tang and R. H. Lasseter, “An lvdc industrial researcher in Samsung Heavy Industries
power supply system without central control unit,” in Co., Ltd, Korea. His research interests
Proceedings of the 31th Annual IEEE Power Elec- are wind power generation, microgrids,
tronics Specialists Conference, Galway, Ireland, June smart grids, and real-time simulation.
2000.
[18] K. Sun, L. Zhang, Y. Xing and J. M. Guerrero, “A
Distributed control strategy based on DC bus signal- Byung-Moon Han He received the
ing for modular photovoltaic generation systems with B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering
battery energy storage,” IEEE Trans. Power Elec- from Seoul National University, Seoul,
tronics, vol. 26, no. 10, pp. 3032-3045, Oct. 2011. Korea, in 1976, and the M.S. and Ph.D.
[19] N. Eghtedarpour and E. Farjah, “Control strategy for degrees from Arizona State University,
distributed integration of photovoltaic and energy USA, in 1988 and 1992, respectively.
storage systems in DC micro-grids,” Renewable He was with the Westinghouse Electric
Energy, vol. 45, pp. 96-110, Sept. 2012. Corporation as a Senior Research
[20] A. Sannino, G. Postiglione, and M. Bollen, “Feasi- Engineer in the Science and Technology Center, Pittsburg,
bility of a dc network for commercial facilities,” PA, USA. He is currently a Professor in the Department of
IEEE Trans. Ind. Applications, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. Electrical Engineering, Myongji University, Seoul, Korea.

http://www.jeet.or.kr │ 463
 DC Microgrid Operational Method for Enhanced Service Reliability Using DC Bus Signaling

His current research interests include power electronics

applications for FACTS, custom power, distributed
generation, and microgrid.

Seung-Il Moon He received the B.S.

degree in Electrical Engineering from
Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea,
in 1985, and the M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees in Electrical Engineering from
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH,
USA in 1989 and 1993, respectively.
He was an Assistant Professor of the
Department of Electrical Engineering at Chonbuk National
University. And currently he is a Professor of the School
of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Seoul
National University. He is a Member of Presidential
Committee of Green Growth in Korea, Advisor for Ministry
of Knowledge Economy in Korea, Member of Electric
Regulatory Commission in Korea, Executive Director of
Korea Institute of Electrical Engineers, and Executive
Director of Korea Smart Grid Institute. His special fields of
interest include smart grid, distributed generation, FACT
system, renewable energy, and energy storage systems.

Seon-Ju Ahn He received the B.S.,

M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical
Engineering from Seoul National Uni-
versity, Korea, in 2002, 2004, and 2009,
respectively. Currently, he is an As-
sistant Professor at Chonnam National
University, Gwangju, Korea. His
research interests are power quality,
distributed energy resources, microgrids, smart grids, and
real-time simulation.

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