System reconfiguration in microgrids

Microgrids are emerging as an important technology in the smart grid era. They are particularly important from the perspective of integrating new renewable generation into the distribution side as well as ensuring system reliability. To operate the microgrid in an optimal and efficient way, one of the suggested technologies is the reconfiguration of the microgrid, which uses sectionalizing and tie switches already present in the system. This paper reviews the work done in microgrid reconfiguration so far, categorizing it on the basis of the several objective functions used, constraints considered, optimization techniques used, and methods of incorporating uncertainty inherent in renewable generation. The paper seeks to serve researchers and practitioning engineers with the state-of-the-art in the area and the research gaps and future challenges involved in microgrid reconfiguration are also highlighted. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.