Securing Networked Microgrids with DNP3 Protocol

The paper presents the microgrid and its networked components within a local area to securely satisfy the supply-demand requirements at the point of common coupling (PCC). A complete mathematical model of the control is presented for an inverter-based microgrid, and a 20-bus example microgrid was tested. The distributed energy resources (DER) are connected through a voltage source inverter to the network. The model is operated under different conditions, with the steady-state behavior was analyzed. The model was simulated under different operating scenarios. The microgrid operation was performed in an autonomous mode under various load disturbances. Finally, implementing a DNP3 as a middleware communication protocol between 2 DER's was detailed and performed experimentally. The test system utilizes an embedded computer as the distributed control layer for the grid, and a Python-based dynamical model was developed to emulate the actual power system dynamics.