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Real-time distributed voltage regulation of the UCSD microgrid using the DERConnect testbed
S. A. Sadat, B. Hwang, K. Murakami, J. Kleissl, J. Cortés, S. Martínez
IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, submitted

Abstract

As distributed energy resources (DERs) become more widespread, they are fundamentally changing power system operations and creating new operational challenges. Controllable DERs have been found to be particularly effective in providing grid ancillary services such as voltage regulation. Leveraging advanced metering and communication infrastructure, scalable distributed control algorithms can further strengthen system reliability via DERs. This paper presents a novel distributed algorithm, based on the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM), for real-time voltage regulation in distribution systems. The algorithm coordinates DER control setpoints to deliver robust voltage support and is validated on the University of California, San Diego microgrid under varied and extreme loading conditions. Its effectiveness is both theoretically established and experimentally verified using the DERConnect testbed, which integrates control hardware-in-the-loop with large-scale simulation. Our results demonstrate the algorithm's adaptability and practical performance in realistic operational environments.

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Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego
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