Resilient Microgrid Design for Disaster-Prone Regions: A Technical Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64229/dc2qqz55Keywords:
Resilient microgrids, Survivability analysis, Extreme event modelling, Adaptive protection, Energy storage systemsAbstract
Increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters pose substantial risks to conventional centralized power systems, leading to prolonged outages, cascading failures, and severe socio-economic consequences. Resilient microgrids have emerged as a strategic infrastructure solution capable of enhancing energy security and operational continuity in disaster-prone regions. This review provides a comprehensive technical synthesis of resilient microgrid design principles, focusing on architectural configurations, distributed energy resource integration, advanced control methodologies, adaptive protection systems, resilience assessment frameworks, and optimization strategies. The study differentiates resilience from traditional reliability metrics and discusses quantitative approaches for evaluating performance degradation and recovery trajectories under extreme events. Alternating current, direct current and hybrid microgrid architectures are critically analyzed in the context of survivability, modularity, and fault tolerance. Advanced control techniques including grid-forming inverters, robust control, model predictive control, and AI-driven energy management systems are examined for their role in maintaining stability during islanded operation. Protection challenges in inverter-dominated systems are reviewed, highlighting adaptive relaying, solid-state breakers, and self-healing mechanisms. Probabilistic risk assessment and multi-objective optimization frameworks are presented for cost–resilience trade-off analysis. Real-world case studies from hurricane-, earthquake-, wildfire-, and flood-prone regions provide practical insights into deployment strategies and performance outcomes. Finally, emerging technologies such as digital twins, edge computing, and hydrogen-based storage are discussed alongside existing research gaps. Finally, emerging technologies such as digital twins, edge computing, and hydrogen-based storage are discussed alongside existing research gaps. The review highlights that the essence of resilient microgrids represents a paradigm shift from traditional fault-prevention approaches toward adaptive disturbance management and rapid recovery capabilities. Future resilient microgrid design will increasingly depend on ensuring stability in low-inertia inverter-dominated systems while enabling coordinated operation of distributed resources under extreme uncertainty conditions.
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