<p>Considered as basic structures of next-generation energy system, environment-friendly and flexible microgrid (MG) systems are potential solutions to deal with stochastic renewable energy sources (RESs). The essence of management is to maximize the benefits of available resources through coordination and optimization, which also applies to energy systems. Adaptable energy management approaches provide the possibility to construct effective and various energy interaction. The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of energy management in MG systems, and further to propose an energy management model. Therefore, this paper first comprehensively reviews recent research studies on MG, particularly in the interconnected mode (called as multi-microgrid, MMG). Based on the analysis of relative literatures, a STEER (stability, touch, efficiency, evenness, and resilience) strategy is proposed and formulated from the perspective of energy utilization for energy management. Then, critical technologies in energy management are reviewed and summarized from the aspects of control, communication, optimization, prediction, and evaluation. Furthermore, energy management system is illustrated from the perspectives of system function, management framework and operation logic, based on a four-layer hierarchical architecture. Eight main prospects on the future trend of energy management in MG and MMG are also presented.</p>