Investigation of a microgrid with vanadium redox flow battery storages as a black start source for power system restoration

Microgrids (MGs) in distribution networks have been dramatically increasing due to integration of distributed renewable sources. With connection of MGs, utility grid and customer supply becomes more reliable. An emergency modes for MGs must be envisaged after a general black out. Considering operating and control flexibility, capability of grid-tied, and autonomous operation, MGs with energy storages can provide cranking power and ensure smooth load pick up during the system restoration process. This paper investigates the technical characteristics of MGs containing vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) as a black start (BS) source. The procedure for power system restoration is developed to minimize the total restoration time by maximizing the total capacity of the BS sources. The proposed restoration process is tested through simulations.