A Novel Nonlinear Droop Function for Flexible Operation of Grid-Forming Inverters

Salman Harasis ()
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Salman Harasis: Department of Electrical Power and Mechatronics Engineering, Tafila Technical University (TTU), Tafila 66110, Jordan

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-25

Abstract: This paper introduces the Exponent Droop Function (EDF), a nonlinear grid-forming (GFM) control paradigm that enhances the flexibility and performance of droop-based control in microgrids. Unlike conventional droop mechanisms, the EDF establishes a generalized framework that unifies multiple nonlinear droop relations, enabling adaptive shaping of droop characteristics through the adjustment of a single tuning parameter. This capability effectively mitigates the inherent limitations of traditional droop, particularly frequency degradation, while ensuring flexible power-sharing and improved dynamic performance. The proposed approach is rigorously validated through (i) detailed system modeling and small-signal stability analysis of EDF-controlled microgrids under variable load and droop conditions, (ii) dynamic assessments of distributed generators (DGs) supported by frequency-domain analysis, and (iii) extensive time-domain simulations encompassing seven representative operating scenarios. Comparative studies against state-of-the-art GFM controllers demonstrate that EDF achieves superior transient and steady-state performance with minimal control complexity, highlighting its potential as a practical and efficient next-generation GFM control strategy for microgrids.

Keywords: distributed generation; dynamics; grid forming (GFM); exponent droop function (EDF); inverter; small signal; stability (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: 2025
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