A distributed coordinated control strategy for isolated AC microgrids based on consensus algorithm considering communication delay

In the multi‐paralleled converter microgrid system, the traditional hierarchical control strategy can eliminate the bus voltage amplitude and frequency deviation from the rated value. However, isolated AC microgrids may face extreme scenarios such as communication delays and interruptions in data transmission due to the use of low‐bandwidth communication (LBC) lines. Additionally, the inconsistent line impedance of each distributed generation (DG) unit may result in the inaccurate division of reactive power in multi‐paralleled converter systems, thus affecting system stability. To address these issues, this paper presents a distributed coordinated control strategy for isolated AC microgrids based on the consensus algorithm. The proposed strategy first replaces LBC lines with a filter to alleviate the effects of communication delays. A small‐signal model is established in its state space, and stability of the microgrid system under the proposed control strategy is verified through eigenvalue analysis. Furthermore, based on the above theoretical analysis, a consensus algorithm is introduced, and a distributed control strategy for isolated AC microgrids based on the consensus algorithm is proposed to solve the issue of inaccurate equalization of the system's reactive power. Finally, factors that influence the dynamic convergence performance of the consensus algorithm are analyzed through simulation in PLECS software. Also, the maximum tolerable communication delays of the microgrid system under different communication topologies are also compared, and the system's robustness is evaluated under the condition of sudden communication interruption in a DG unit and sudden weather variation. These analyses confirmed the robustness of the proposed strategy against communication delays, output power fluctuation, and communication interruptions.