Securing Networked Microgrids Operation through DNP3 Protocol Implementation

The paper introduces the microgrid and its components that are networked within a local area. This is to satisfy the supply demand requirements within the microgrid with the hosting grid at the point of common coupling (PCC). A complete control model is presented for an inverter based microgrid. The results show that the distributed control can achieve the set frequency and voltage points within the whole microgrid. The paper further introduces a secured networked distributed microgrid by utilizing the DNP3 protocol as a case study for the distributed control system. The DNP3 implementation as middleware communication protocol is detailed here. The test system utilizes an embedded computer as the distributed control layer for the grid and a Python-based dynamical model is developed to emulate the actual power system dynamics.