Quantum-Secure Distributed Frequency Control

Distributed control of multi-inverter microgrids has attracted considerable attention as it can achieve the combined goals of flexible plug-and-play architecture guaranteeing frequency and voltage regulation while preserving precise power sharing among nonidentical distributed energy resources (DERs). However, it turns out that cybersecurity has emerged as a serious concern in distributed control schemes. Inspired by quantum communication developments and their security advantages, this paper devises a scalable quantum distributed controller that can guarantee synchronization, and power sharing among DERs. The developed quantum distributed scheme allows for exchanging secret information directly through quantum channels among the participating DERs. Case studies on a representative ac networked microgrids verify the efficacy of the new quantum distributed frequency control strategy.