A novel IoT-based adaptive protection scheme for active DC distribution systems incorporating networked microgrids

Due to climate change, there is a huge increase in active distribution systems incorporating networked microgrids. These systems face challenges in their protection against various fault conditions. This paper proposes a novel adaptive protection scheme based on Internet of Things (IoT) for active DC distribution systems incorporating networked microgrids. The IoT infrastructure for the active distribution system is presented, followed by a detailed analysis of the response of networked microgrids considering various fault conditions. Then, the proposed protection scheme is described, which consists of multiple schemes to cover all possible fault conditions. The first scheme uses power derivatives for individual microgrids, while the second scheme uses the derivative of the differential current for DC buses and the DC network. These schemes overcome the challenges of bi-directionality, limited fault currents, and synchronization and communication delays. The IoT enables continuous monitoring of operational scenarios, allowing for adaptive updates for threshold values and differential terms. The proposed IoT-based adaptive protection scheme is validated through various case studies using MATLAB software. Furthermore, real-time experimental validation is conducted to demonstrate the practical implementation of the proposed scheme. The obtained results indicated the effectiveness and high potential of the proposed scheme.