Buffered Microgrids with Modular Back-to-Back Converter Grid Interface

Nachat Nasser, Meghdad Fazeli and Ahmed A. Aboushady ()
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Nachat Nasser: General Electric, Grid Solutions, Stafford ST16 1WS, UK
Meghdad Fazeli: Energy Safety Research Institute, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Ahmed A. Aboushady: SMART Technology Centre, School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: This paper proposes a buffered microgrid with a modular grid interface consisting of a modular back-to-back converter. The proposed method provides a flexible strategy that enables both the load and generation expansion of the microgrid, with no sizing constraints on the initial stage. The method maintains the physical separation of the buffered microgrid from the grid by using back-to-back converters, which ensures a safe, secure and seamless operation in both islanded and grid-connected operation modes. The proposed modular structure allows an energy exchange prioritization either between the energy storage systems and the grid or between the energy storage units themselves, depending on the recommended/desired operational strategy. The prioritizations are achieved by using sets of dead zones in the control of the interfacing converters. In order to control the voltage and frequency, an inverse-droop-based dq-frame current control method was implemented in PSCAD/EMTDC to substantiate the proposed method. The simulation results of different scenarios show the operational flexibility, control simplicity and communication-free operation of the microgrid with different types of sources.

Keywords: buffered microgrid; droop control; energy management; primary control; renewable energy; seamless operation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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