A Power Flow Sensitivity-Based Approach for Distributed Voltage Regulation and Power Sharing in Droop-Controlled DC Distribution Networks

Nan Jiang, He Gao, Xingyu Zhang, Zhe Zhang, Yufei Peng and Dong Liang ()
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Nan Jiang: Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Inner Mongolia East Electric Power Co., Ltd., Huhhot 010020, China
He Gao: Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Inner Mongolia East Electric Power Co., Ltd., Huhhot 010020, China
Xingyu Zhang: Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Inner Mongolia East Electric Power Co., Ltd., Huhhot 010020, China
Zhe Zhang: Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Inner Mongolia East Electric Power Co., Ltd., Huhhot 010020, China
Yufei Peng: Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Inner Mongolia East Electric Power Co., Ltd., Huhhot 010020, China
Dong Liang: State Key Laboratory of Smart Power Distribution Equipment and System, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-21

Abstract: Aiming at the challenges of design complexity and parameter adjustment difficulties in existing distributed controllers, a novel power flow sensitivity-based distributed cooperative control approach is proposed for voltage regulation and power sharing in droop-controlled DC distribution networks (DCDNs). Firstly, based on the power flow model of droop-controlled DCDNs, a comprehensive sensitivity model is established that correlates bus voltages, voltage source converter (VSC) loading rates, and VSC reference power adjustments. Leveraging the sensitivity model, a discrete-time linear state-space model is developed for DCDNs, using all VSC reference power as control variables, along with the weighted sum of the voltage deviation at the VSC connection point and the loading rate deviation of adjacent VSCs as state variables. A distributed consensus controller is then designed to alleviate the communication burden. The feedback gain design problem is formulated as an unconstrained multi-objective optimization model, which simultaneously enhances dynamic response speed, suppresses overshoot and oscillation, and ensures stability. The model can be efficiently solved by global optimization algorithms such as the genetic algorithm, and the feedback gains can be designed in a systematic and principled manner. The simulation results on a typical four-terminal DCDN under large power disturbances demonstrate that the proposed distributed control method achieves rapid voltage recovery and converter load sharing under a sparse communication network. The design complexity and parameter adjustment difficulties are greatly reduced without losing the control performance.

Keywords: DC distribution network; droop control; voltage source converter; distributed secondary control; power flow sensitivity (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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