Autonomous Microgrid Formation and Islanding During Grid Events

Manual operator assessment and sequenced switching during a grid event can take 30-90 minutes, risking critical load loss. A custom workflow uses real-time PMU and SCADA telemetry to detect disturbances (e.g., voltage/frequency excursions) in <100ms, validates islanding feasibility against a digital twin, and executes the disconnection sequence via remote-controlled switches in under 60 seconds, ensuring continuous power for essential services.

Beyond emergency islanding, the workflow continuously optimizes for economics. By forecasting local renewable generation and grid prices, it autonomously decides to island during peak tariff periods or when grid stability is poor, running on local solar + storage. This shifts load, avoids demand charges, and can create revenue by providing grid services (like frequency regulation) when reconnected, turning the microgrid into a proactive financial asset.

Traditional backup systems rely on diesel generators that require expensive runtime, maintenance, and fuel logistics. The autonomous workflow prioritizes battery storage and inverter-based resources for primary frequency/voltage control during islanding, using generators only as a last resort or for extended outages. This extends generator life, reduces fuel consumption by ~25%, and lowers associated emissions and maintenance overhead.

For campuses with data centers, labs, or manufacturing, a 30-minute power interruption can cause catastrophic spoilage, data loss, or halted production. Autonomous islanding ensures zero interruption for prioritized loads. The workflow includes automated load-shedding logic that gracefully de-energizes non-critical circuits (e.g., parking lot lighting) based on real-time generation capacity, protecting the core operational load without manual intervention.

Manual testing, reporting, and compliance for backup power systems (NFPA 110, NERC CIP) is labor-intensive. The autonomous workflow auto-documents every event—logging disturbance data, sequence of operations, asset performance, and operator overrides—generating audit-ready reports. It can also execute scheduled islanding tests autonomously, validating system readiness without mobilizing a full operations team, freeing up 1-2 FTE for higher-value tasks.

A microgrid is a major capital investment often justified solely on resilience. By layering on autonomous economic optimization (peak shaving, grid services) and slashing operational costs (fuel, maintenance, labor), the custom workflow unlocks multiple revenue and savings streams. This transforms the project's financial model, significantly improving the internal rate of return (IRR) and compressing the payback period, making the capital case for resilience much stronger.

This primary agent ingests real-time telemetry from utility SCADA, Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), and local relays. It analyzes frequency, voltage, and breaker status against configurable thresholds to classify events (e.g., under-frequency, voltage collapse). Upon detection, it initiates the islanding sequence and notifies the facility's Energy Management System (EMS) and human operators. Implementation involves integrating with OPC-UA or DNP3 protocols and embedding logic for event correlation to reduce false positives.

This agent executes the critical switchgear operations. It first commands the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) breaker to open, physically islanding the microgrid. It then coordinates the start-up and synchronization of grid-forming inverters from on-site solar-plus-storage and backup generators to establish a stable voltage and frequency reference. Architecture requires a digital twin for pre-execution simulation and direct integration with SEL or GE relays via IEC 61850 for secure, time-synchronized control.

Once islanded, this component manages the internal supply-demand balance. It continuously monitors local load and generation, comparing against the microgrid's real-time capacity. Using a pre-defined priority schema (e.g., life safety > IT > comfort), it autonomously sheds non-essential loads via smart breakers or building management system APIs to prevent a cascade failure. Implementation ties into a BACnet or Modbus building network and includes a manual override panel for critical operations.

This agent optimizes the dispatch of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) within the island. It ingests state-of-charge from battery systems, real-time solar output, and generator fuel levels to run a cost-plus-reliability optimization, adjusting setpoints every few seconds. Integration is required with DERMS, Tesla Powerhub, or Generac controllers via REST APIs or SunSpec Modbus, creating a unified control layer that replaces manual generator management.

A critical governance layer that provides full visibility and veto control. All major autonomous actions (islanding initiation, bulk load shed) are presented to a human operator via a HMI dashboard with a configurable countdown (e.g., 30 seconds) for approval. The system logs every decision, sensor input, and command to an immutable audit trail for post-event analysis and regulatory compliance. Built using Grafana for dashboards and OpenTelemetry for tracing.

This agent manages the high-risk return to grid parallel operation. It continuously monitors the utility grid for stable voltage and frequency within tolerance. Once conditions are met, it orchestrates a synchronized close of the PCC breaker, followed by a gradual ramp-down of local generation and restoration of shed loads. Implementation requires precise phase-angle measurement and closed-loop validation with the utility's distribution management system (DMS) to prevent out-of-phase closing.