Hierarchical control architecture for resilient interconnected microgrids for mass transit systems

Railway transit is relied on every day to transport millions of passengers and bring billions worth of economic goods to market. However, electrified railway infrastructures are dependent on the electric grid, which is vulnerable to extreme weather, changing supply and demand patterns, and cyber-terrorism. A hierarchical control system that uses a resiliency metric and applies game theory techniques to handle the exchange of energy between interconnected microgrids is presented. The proposed designs are modelled and simulated in Simulink, for a proposed high-speed railway in the UK. Interconnected microgrids for railway infrastructures demonstrate a reduced dependence on the electric grid by at least 95%. The results are both extremely impressive and promising towards a more resilient and stable energy future both for railway and for other critical infrastructures.