Distributed Optimization and Control for Autonomous Distributed Energy Resource Power Dispatch and Frequency Regulation Considering Communication Failures

Journal Article · Mon Mar 16 00:00:00 EDT 2026 · Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.segan.2026.102170· OSTI ID:3024201

Basnet, Prasant ^[1]; Fang, Xin ^[1]; Wang, Wenbo ^[2]; Liu, Weijia ^[2]

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1. Mississippi State University
2. National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, CO (United States)

Distributed energy resources (DERs) can significantly enhance grid flexibility by supplying power and secondary frequency regulation (SFR) services. Yet, their large number and dispersed nature limit the effectiveness of traditional centralized power dispatch and frequency control schemes, and expose the system to single-point communication failures. This paper presents a unified distributed optimization and control framework for DER power dispatch and SFR provision. A transmission-loss-aware distributed direct current optimal power flow is first formulated to optimize DER power dispatch and reserve scheduling. On top of this, a fully distributed control scheme for DER autonomous SFR provision is developed to allocate automatic generation control signals cost-effectively while ensuring robustness to communication link disruptions. The framework is validated on IEEE 14-bus and 39-bus transmission systems with large-scale distribution feeders using transmission-distribution dynamic co-simulation, demonstrating reliable and autonomous DER power dispatch and SFR provision under diverse operating conditions and communication contingencies.

• Research Organization: National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Electricity (OE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 3024201
• Report Number(s): NLR/JA-5D00-94627
• Journal Information: Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, Journal Name: Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks Vol. 46
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
communication failure
distributed AGC
distributed DCOPF
distributed energy resources
frequency regulation