Energy Internet is a concept proposed to harness, control, and manage energy resources effectively, with the help of information and communication technology. It improves a reliability of the system, and provides an increased utilization of energy resources by integrating the smart grid with the Internet. A scalable and reliable information and communication architecture is a crucial factor for both the operation and management of the energy Internet. The routing or managing of electrical energy is performed through an energy router (ER), synonymous with a communication router, which routes data packets instead of energy packets. In this paper, a holistic review of the energy Internet evolution in terms of the architecture, types of ERs, and the benefits and challenges of its implementation is presented. An exhaustive summary of the designs and architectures of the different types of ERs is also presented in this paper. The benefits of the energy Internet, along with the challenges of its implementation on a large-scale distributed architecture with the inclusion of renewable energy resources, is discussed. Finally, future prospects for the energy Internet for achieving guaranteed reliability and security is presented.

The concept of energy internet (EI) is very promising due to its ability to integrate distributed generators and storage devices. Energy routers (ERs) enable highly efficient, reliable and flexible power system operation. To dynamically control and optimize energy flow in EI, an extensive communication is required. Considering the diversity of generators and ERs, it is crucial that such communication is achieved in a standardized and interoperable way. In this paper, an improved energy routing algorithm and its impact in EI operation are demonstrated. Furthermore, a full communication solution is developed for ERs and their interaction with grid operator. This paper proposes an IEC 61850 communication-based power routing algorithm in microgrids. Optimal selection of source and routing path is achieved according to the proposed algorithm and communicated to the ERs via IEC 61850 based communication. The effectiveness of the proposed IEC 61850 communication-based routing algorithm is verified on network emulation platform comprising of IEC 61850 emulator tools and network simulator tool.

Communication plays a key role in the effective management of virtual power plants (VPPs). For effective and stable operation of VPPs, a reliable, secure, and standardized communication infrastructure is required. In the literature, efforts were made to develop this based on industry standards, such as the IEC 60870-5-104, OpenADR 2.0b and IEC 61850. Due to its global acceptance and strong object-oriented information models, IEC 61850 standard-based communication is preferred for smart grid operations, including VPPs. However, communication models based on IEC 61850 present cybersecurity and scalability challenges. To address this issue, this paper presents an eXtensible Message Presence Protocol (XMPP)-based IEC 61850 communication for VPPs. Firstly, a full mapping of IEC 61850 messages for VPP energy management is carried out. Secondly, XMPP-based single- and multiple-domain communications are demonstrated. Finally, a federation concept has been added to facilitate communication in multi-domain communication networks. These models show that a standard communication model can be implemented with IEC 61850 and XMPP, not only for VPPs but other wide-area communication implementations in smart grids. This not only facilitates plug-and-play (PnP) with easy component additions but secures smart grid communication against cyber-attacks.

With the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources in power system has led to changes in its operation. The renewable energy sources with their intermittency poses may challenges for smooth integration. In this regard, the energy storage systems are viewed as potential solution for providing the smooth power system operation with integration of renewables. However, there are different types of energy storage systems with different operational capabilities, costs and limitations. This paper presents review of state-of-the-art smart and innovative electrical energy storage systems. Further, the impact of these storage systems on power systems is reported. This research would be helpful in choosing the energy storage system for deployment in particular application.

This article delves into the security-constrained scheduling of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) through a two-stage methodology. In the proposed framework, a decentralized locational marginal pricing (DLMP) based primary pricing mechanism is applied to realize the pricing in first stage. An exclusive Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) framework is crafted for the VPP’s scheduling to enhance the utilization of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and controllable loads in both the Day Ahead Market (DAM) and Real-Time Market (RTM). The primary objective is maximizing joint profit for the VPP and the DERs, while the economic assessment hinges on Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for financial evaluation of the proposed scheme. The model’s practicality is verified using the GAMS environment, and its efficiency is gauged through LCOE benchmarking. Furthermore, this paper unveils a communication framework for the VPP, grounded in IEC 61850-8-2 protocol. This framework exemplifies the exchange of XMPP stanzas among distinct clients during the strategy’s implementation.