Smart grids and renewable energy systems: Perspectives and grid integration challenges

The concept of smart grid (SG) was made real to give the power grid the functions and features it needs to make a smooth transition towards renewable energy integration and sustainability. This was done by automating and digitizing the grid to give it the right amount of flexibility and reliability, while also giving it the ability to easily handle future changes. The need for SG exponentially increases as more variable renewable energy sources are integrated into the power system, with the power grid and the electricity market gradually being transformed from a centralized to a more distributed form. In this respect, the objective of this review paper is to highlight the pertinent challenges associated with SG that are necessary for its progressive practical realization from the perspective of user-end acceptance as well as operational flexibility for power system planners and operators in terms of regulatory and serviceability needs. Furthermore, it intends to highlight the complexities of power system related to planning, operation, and installation considering renewable integration, such that, the progression and utilization of SG can be quantified while highlighting research gaps that could potentially have a catastrophic impact, such as, standardization and protocols related to contingencies a especially black-start process. Therefore, a bottom-up approach for reviewing SG is carried out in this paper, which provides an in-depth presentation on the description and challenges associated with renewable integration, energy storage systems, security, and interoperability, along with comprehensive discussion on progressive research on their potential solutions and countermeasures. •The transition of power grid towards smart grids with diversification and distributed generation.•Smart grids, energy storage, and sustainability.•Renewable energy grid integration challenges.•Security and privacy in smart grids.