Renewable-Integrated Agent-Based Microgrid Model with Grid-Forming Support for Improved Frequency Regulation

Abstract

The increasing penetration of renewable energy presents substantial challenges to frequency stability, particularly in low-inertia microgrids. This study introduces an agent-based microgrid model that integrates generators, loads, an energy storage system (ESS), and renewable sources, mathematically formalized through the discrete-event system specification (DEVS) to ensure both structural clarity and extensibility. To dynamically simulate power system behavior, the model incorporates multiple control strategies-including ESS scheduling, automatic generation control (AGC), predictive AGC, and grid-forming (GFM) inverter control-each posed as an mathematically defined control problem. Simulations on the IEEE 13-bus system demonstrates that the coordinated operation of ESS, GFM, and the proposed strategies markedly enhances frequency stability, reducing frequency peaks by 1.14, 1.14, and 0.72 Hz, and shortening the average recovery time by 9.05, 0.15, and 2.58 min, respectively. Collectively, the model provides a systematic representation of grid behavior and frequency regulation mechanisms under high renewable penetration, and establishes a rigorous mathematical framework for advancing microgrid research.