Virtual Oscillator Control for Grid-Forming Inverters: Recent Advances, Comparative Evaluation, and Small-Signal Analysis

Hamed Rezazadeh, Mohammad Monfared (), Meghdad Fazeli and Saeed Golestan
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Hamed Rezazadeh: Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Mohammad Monfared: Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Meghdad Fazeli: Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Saeed Golestan: AAU Energy, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg East, Denmark

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: The increasing penetration of renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) has intensified the need for grid-forming (GFM) inverters capable of supporting frequency and voltage stability. Virtual Oscillator Control (VOC) has recently emerged as a promising time-domain GFM strategy due to its fast dynamics and autonomous synchronisation capability. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of recent VOC developments, focusing on the Andronov–Hopf Oscillator (AHO) and its variants. A comparative overview of different VOC structures highlights their capabilities in providing essential services such as dispatchability, fault ride-through (FRT), virtual inertia, and damping. A generalised small-signal state-space model is developed to assess the influence of virtual inertia, grid impedance, and control parameters on transient performance, which is essential for optimal parameter design and controller tuning in various applications. Experimental validation using a 2.5 kVA single-phase inverter shows excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The results confirm that while increased virtual inertia enhances frequency stability, it also introduces oscillations that can be effectively mitigated through damping enhancement. Furthermore, the experiments demonstrate that advanced AHO-based strategies successfully deliver vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) services, confirming their practical applicability in future EV-integrated and renewable-rich power systems.

Keywords: electric vehicle (EV); grid-forming (GFM) inverters; small-signal analysis; vehicle-to-grid (V2G); vehicle-to-home (V2H); virtual oscillator control (VOC) (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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