Master-Slave and Peer-to-Peer Simulation Using PSCAD/EMTDC

A microgrid can be in two operational modes: grid-connected and islanding operation. Planned or unplanned events transition from grid-connected to islanding, and the microgrid must provide stability to the critical load connected to the microgrid. Hence, this paper studies two microgrid control modes during the transition from grid-connected to stand-alone mode: master-slave and peer-to-peer. The simulation and analysis results show that the master-slave control mode has better stability and efficiency than the peer-to-peer control mode. This can be seen where, in master-slave mode, demand can be fulfilled entirely by the system. Meanwhile, load reduction occurs in peer-to-peer mode when the microgrid is disconnected from the utility grid. In addition, the extra load added to the microgrid causes greater voltage and frequency drops compared to the master-slave mode.