Seamless transfer of single-phase utility interactive inverters with a synchronized output regulation strategy

Abstract

This study presents a strategy using the synchronized output regulation method (SOR) for controlling inverters operating in stand-alone and grid-connected modes. From the view point of networked dynamic systems, SOR involves nodes with outputs that are synchronized but also display a desirable wave shape. Under the SOR strategy, the inverter and grid are treated as two nodes that comprise a simple network. These two nodes work independently under the stand-alone mode. An intermediate mode, here is named the synchronization mode, is emphasized because the transition from the stand-alone mode to the grid-connected mode can be dealt as a standard SOR problem. In the grid-connected mode, the inverter operates in an independent way, in which the voltage reference changes for generalized synchronization where its output current satisfies the required power injection. Such a relatively independent design leads to a seamless transfer between operation modes. The closed-loop system is analyzed in the state space on the basis of the output regulation theory, which improves the robustness of the design. Simulations and experiments are performed to verify the proposed control strategy.