The analysis of the small-signal stability of conventional power systems is well established, but for inverter based microgrids there is a need to establish how circuit and control features give rise to particular oscillatory modes and which of these have poor damping. This paper develops the modeling and analysis of autonomous operation of inverter-based microgrids. Each sub-module is modeled in state-space form and all are combined together on a common reference frame. The model captures the detail of the control loops of the inverter but not the switching action. Some inverter modes are found at relatively high frequency and so a full dynamic model of the network (rather than an algebraic impedance model) is used. The complete model is linearized around an operating point and the resulting system matrix is used to derive the eigenvalues. The eigenvalues (termed "modes") indicate the frequency and damping of oscillatory components in the transient response. A sensitivity analysis is also presented which helps identifying the origin of each of the modes and identify possible feedback signals for design of controllers to improve the system stability. With experience it is possible to simplify the model (reduce the order) if particular modes are not of interest as is the case with synchronous machine models. Experimental results from a microgrid of three 10-kW inverters are used to verify the results obtained from the model

Modeling, Analysis and Testing of Autonomous Operation of an Inverter-Based Microgrid

This paper presents a review of advanced control techniques for microgrids. This paper covers decentralized, distributed, and hierarchical control of grid-connected and islanded microgrids. At first, decentralized control techniques for microgrids are reviewed. Then, the recent developments in the stability analysis of decentralized controlled microgrids are discussed. Finally, hierarchical control for microgrids that mimic the behavior of the mains grid is reviewed.

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Advanced Control Architectures for Intelligent Microgrids—Part I: Decentralized and Hierarchical Control

In this paper, a new control method for the parallel operation of inverters operating in an island grid or connected to an infinite bus is described. Frequency and voltage control, including mitigation of voltage harmonics, are achieved without the need for any common control circuitry or communication between inverters. Each inverter supplies a current that is the result of the voltage difference between a reference ac voltage source and the grid voltage across a virtual complex impedance. The reference ac voltage source is synchronized with the grid, with a phase shift, depending on the difference between rated and actual grid frequency. A detailed analysis shows that this approach has a superior behavior compared to existing methods, regarding the mitigation of voltage harmonics, short-circuit behavior and the effectiveness of the frequency and voltage control, as it takes the R to X line impedance ratio into account. Experiments show the behavior of the method for an inverter feeding a highly nonlinear load and during the connection of two parallel inverters in operation.

A Voltage and Frequency Droop Control Method for Parallel Inverters

Advanced control strategies are vital components for realization of microgrids. This paper reviews the status of hierarchical control strategies applied to microgrids and discusses the future trends. This hierarchical control structure consists of primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, and is a versatile tool in managing stationary and dynamic performance of microgrids while incorporating economical aspects. Various control approaches are compared and their respective advantages are highlighted. In addition, the coordination among different control hierarchies is discussed.

Hierarchical Structure of Microgrids Control System

This paper addresses the low-frequency relative stability problem in paralleled inverter-based distributed generation (DG) units in microgrids. In the sense of the small-signal dynamics of a microgrid, it can be shown that as the demanded power of each inverter changes, the low-frequency modes of the power sharing dynamics drift to new locations and the relative stability is remarkably affected, and eventually, instability can be yielded. To preserve the power sharing stability, an adaptive decentralized droop controller of paralleled inverter-based DG units is presented in this paper. The proposed power sharing strategy is based on the static droop characteristics combined with an adaptive transient droop function. Unlike conventional droop controllers, which yield 1-DOF tunable controller, the proposed droop controller yields 2-DOF tunable controller. Subsequently, the dynamic performance of the power sharing mechanism can be adjusted, without affecting the static droop gain, to damp the oscillatory modes of the power sharing controller. To account for the power modes immigration at different loading conditions, the transient droop gains are adaptively scheduled via small-signal analysis of the power sharing mechanism along the loading trajectory of each DG unit to yield the desired transient and steady-state response. The gain adaptation scheme utilizes the filtered active and reactive powers as indices; therefore, a stable and smooth power injection performance can be obtained at different loading conditions. The adaptive nature of the proposed controller ensures active damping of power oscillations at different operating conditions, and yields a stable and robust performance of the paralleled inverter system.

Adaptive Decentralized Droop Controller to Preserve Power Sharing Stability of Paralleled Inverters in Distributed Generation Microgrids

The authors have developed a new control technique which allows paralleled inverters to share linear or nonlinear load in a distributed AC power supply system. This technique does not require control interconnections and automatically compensates for inverter parameter variations and line impedance imbalances. Experimental results are provided in the paper to prove the concept.

Control of parallel inverters in distributed AC power systems with consideration of line impedance effect

To provide reliable power under scheduled and unscheduled outages requires an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) which can be easily expanded to meet the needs of a growing demand. A system suck as this should also be fault tolerant and include the capability for redundancy. These goals can be met by paralleling together smaller inverters if a control scheme can be designed to allow them to operate independently yet still share the load. We have developed a control technique for operating two or more single phase inverter modules in parallel with no auxiliary interconnections. This technique uses frequency, fundamental voltage, and harmonic voltage droop to allow independent inverters to share the load in proportion to their capacities. Simulation results are provided to prove the concept.

Parallel operation of single phase inverter modules with no control interconnections

The authors have developed a new control technique which allows paralleled inverters to share linear or nonlinear load in a distributed AC power supply system. This technique does not require control interconnections and automatically compensates for inverter parameter variations and line impedance imbalances. Simulation results are provided in the paper to prove the concept.

A. Tuladhar

Papers

Control of parallel inverters in distributed AC power systems with consideration of line impedance effect

Parallel operation of single phase inverter modules with no control interconnections

Control of parallel inverters in distributed AC power systems with consideration of the line impedance effect