Improved dynamic voltage regulation in a droop controlled DC nanogrid employing independently controlled battery and supercapacitor units

Abstract

DC bus voltage signaling (DBS) and droop control are frequently employed in DC nano and microgrids with distributed energy resources (DERs) operating in a decentralized way. This approach is effective in enforcing the desired contributions of power sources and energy storage systems (ESSs) in steady-state conditions. The use of supercapacitors (SCs) along with batteries in a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) can mitigate the impact of high and fast current variations on the losses and lifetime of the battery units. However, by controlling the HESS as a single unit, one forfeits the potential contribution of the SC and its high power capabilities to dynamically improve voltage regulation in a DC nanogrid. This paper discusses an approach where the SC interface is controlled independently from the battery interface, with a small droop factor and a high pass filter (HPF), to produce high and short current pulses and smooth DC bus voltage variations due to sudden power imbalances in the DC nanogrid. Experimental results are presented to show that, unlike in a conventional HESS, the SC unit can be used to improve the dynamic voltage regulation of the DC nanogrid and, indirectly, mitigate the high and fast current variations in the battery.