Sliding Sector-Based Controller for Regulating Voltage/Frequency in Autonomous Microgrid

Abstract

The application of microgrids (MG) has a vital role in grid modernization. However, a larger number of installations of electronically coupled distributed energy resources (DER) units in MGs have created opportunities and threats for grid operations. Therefore, efficient and reliable control strategies for MG operation are essential. This article introduces the concept of sector design to show the stabilization of voltage source converter-interfaced DER units in MG applications. The sliding sector design is advanced sliding mode control to obtain a region of attraction such that the state space is divided into attractive and nonattractive regions. In addition, a variable structure-based controlling method has been introduced to drive the trajectories of a plant from the exterior to the interior of the sector and strictly inside throughout the process. In autonomous MG operation, the proposed controller focuses on stabilizing the electronically coupled DER unit’s voltage and frequency response. Besides, it confirms the safety of the power conversion system from external disturbances. The system stability is proven using the Lyapunov candidate function. The proposed strategy has been effectively validated through PSCAD/EMTDC. The simulation results have examined the impact of balanced, unbalanced, nonlinear, and dynamic loading patterns in islanded MG.

Keywords:

• DER
• islanded operation
• sliding sector design
• SMC
• variable structure control

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amit Kumar Thakur

Amit Kumar Thakur received the Ph.D degree in Electrical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi in 2021 and M.E. degree in Electrical engineering from the IIEST, Shibpur, Howrah India, in 2015. He is currently working in GE Renewable Energy a part of GE Vernova as Systems Engineer in the role of power system studies engineer. His research interests include electric power components and systems.

Shiv Pujan Singh

Shiv Pujan Singh (Senior Member, IEEE) received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in electrical engineering from Allahabad University (presently MNNIT Allahabad), Prayagraj, India, in 1978 and 1981, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Power systems from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, in 1990. He was a Postdoctoral Scholar as BOYSCAST Fellow with the University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, from 1993 to 1994, and a Visiting Fellow under Royal Society-INSA Fellowship with the Brunel University, London, U.K., in 2004, for three months. He joined the Electrical Engineering Department, Banaras Hindu University as a Lecturer. He is currently serving as a Professor with the Electrical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University. Dr. Singh is a Fellow of Institution of Engineers (India) and Life Member of Systems Society of India. His research interests include electricity market and deregulation, distribution automation, wide area measurements, and smart grids.

Shailendra Singh

Shailendra Singh, received the B.Tech degree in Electrical and Electronics Engg. from UPTU, Lucknow, India, in 2014 and M.Tech degree in Power System Engineering in 2016 from IIT BHU, Varanasi, India. Since 2016, he is pursuing Ph.D. degree from IIT-BHU, Varanasi, India. His research interests include impact assessment of distributed energy resources in transmission and distribution networks, scheduling of DERs for techno-economic benefits, real-time simulation studies.

Ankit Sachan

Ankit Sachan received the Ph.D. (Engg.) degree in electrical engineering from IIT BHU Varanasi, India, in 2019. He worked as visiting scholar at Harbin institute of technology, Shenzhen, China, in 2018 and 2019. Presently, he is working as an assistant professor at Hiroshima University, Japan. His research interests include nonlinear sector design, multiagent systems, implicit Euler discretization, and Lyapunov stabilization.