A Simple Self-Tuning Resonant Control Approach for Power Converters Connected to Micro-Grids with Distorted Voltage Conditions

Abstract

Over the last few decades, the consolidated goal of reducing greenhouse gasses has increased the relevance of renewable energy research, electromobility, energy storage, and distributed generation, micro-grids, among others. Micro-grids, systems working in islanding mode, are particular cases where some disadvantages are present due to the wide variations which may appear across their electrical quantities. Variations on the voltage amplitude and the frequency are intrinsic in the operation of weak grids, because they have low inertia and therefore the load must be able to cope with these variations, otherwise loads may trip electrical system protection. Particularly, on power electronic drives, these frequency deviations will lead to increased system nonlinearities, entailing a more critical controller design. To overcome these issues, this paper presents an implementation of a resonant controller with self-tuned gains. The strategy imposes a constant sampling time which allows these controllers to be used in variable frequency environments. In addition, the computational capacity required for the digital board is also considered. The simulated and experimental results provided demonstrate the good performance of this proposal.