With the rapidly increasing deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs), electric power systems across the world are moving towards more distributed designs and operations. While not every distributed device will be part of a microgrid, microgrids do offer solutions for scalability and interoperability, and for coordination with centralized utility control systems. The challenge is that the microgrids will be heterogenous with respect to ownership, operational objectives, resource mix, and control systems. Due to these variations within the population of microgrids, there will be significant challenges with coordinating their operations to achieve global objectives using existing centralized controls and optimizations. This paper presents a framework for the coordination of heterogeneous groups of microgrids using consensus algorithms. The framework enables the active engagement of utility and non-utility microgrids using a distributed architecture to support end-use loads during the loss of the bulk power system. Results from laboratory testing and preliminary implementations, as well as details of an ongoing operational deployment at the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga are presented in this paper.
