Abstract: Electricity systems around the world are experiencing a radical transition as the consequence of replacing fossil fuels, used for electricity production, by sustainable and cleaner energies. The growing penetration of renewable energies requires smarter techniques capable of handling the uncertainties of these intermittent sources. Along with this change, traditionally centralised power systems are also converting into distributed self-sufficient systems, often referred to as microgrids, that can operate independently. This talk will focus on remote area microgrids as a hot research topic in Australia and Southeast Asia that have hundreds of remote and off-grid towns and communities, and islands. It is expected that remote area microgrids will strongly benefit these remote locations in the forthcoming years. This talk will briefly introduce the progress of research in this field around the world and Australia, and will also discuss some of the technical challenges associated with interconnection of neighbouring microgrids as a key step to improve their survivability in the course of unexpected imbalances between the demand and the available generation from intermittent renewable resources.