Comparative Study and Recent Developments of Islanding Detection Methods for Microgrids and DGs

The integration of distributed generation (DG) into the distribution networks provides many technological benefits, as improving system security, raising reliability, providing clean source of electricity and reduction in fossil fuel consumption. However the large integration of DGs leads to few concerns like intermittent nature of renewable DGs, complicated protection schemes, islanding of the DGs etc. In the islanded operation, the microgrid/DG keeps power injection to the network. Therefore, islanding detection is an essential aspect of DG systems that ensures safety and reliability of the overall distribution systems. This paper provides a review of various islanding detection methods (IDMs), including local, remote and other approaches. Various detection methods in each section are discussed, based on the performance evaluation of important indices such as non-detection zone (NDZ), detection time (DT), error detection (ED) ratio, power quality (PQ) and efficacy in single or multiple inverter systems. The review aims to provide a thorough understanding of the existing IDMs enabling the development of more efficient and reliable methods.