Distributed Optimization for Reactive Power Sharing and Stability of Inverter-Based Resources Under Voltage Limits

Abstract: Reactive power sharing and containment of voltages within limits for inverter-based resources (IBRs) are two important, yet coupled objectives in ac networks. In this article, we propose a distributed control technique to simultaneously achieve these objectives. Our controller consists of two components: a purely local nonlinear integral controller which adjusts the IBR voltage setpoint, and a distributed primal-dual optimizer that coordinates reactive power sharing between the IBRs. The controller prioritizes the voltage containment objective over reactive power sharing at all points in time; excluding the IBRs with saturated voltages, it provides reactive power sharing among all the IBRs. Considering the voltage saturation and the coupling between voltage and angle dynamics, a formal closed-loop stability analysis based on singular perturbation theory is provided, yielding practical tuning guidance for the overall control system. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller for different case studies, we apply it to a low-voltage microgrid and a microgrid adapted from the CIGRE medium-voltage network benchmark, both simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink environment.