Power Control and Management in a Hybrid AC/DC Microgrid

TLDR

Hybrid AC/DC microgrids integrate AC and DC distributed generation, requiring an interlinking AC/DC converter that manages power sharing during islanding by acting as supplier to one microgrid and load to the other. The study aims to address power flow control and management among multiple AC and DC sources in a hybrid microgrid. A decentralized power‑sharing method is proposed that eliminates communication between distributed generators or microgrids. The architecture enables flexible placement of AC and DC loads and sources, reducing conversion stages, cost, and improving efficiency, and simulation results confirm the control strategy’s effectiveness under various operating conditions.

Abstract

Hybrid AC/DC microgrids have been planned for the better interconnection of different distributed generation systems (DG) to the power grid, and exploiting the prominent features of both ac and dc microgrids. Connecting these microgrids requires an interlinking AC/DC converter (IC) with a proper power management and control strategy. During the islanding operation of the hybrid AC/DC microgrid, the IC is intended to take the role of supplier to one microgrid and at the same time acts as a load to the other microgrid and the power management system should be able to share the power demand between the existing AC and dc sources in both microgrids. This paper considers the power flow control and management issues amongst multiple sources dispersed throughout both ac and dc microgrids. The paper proposes a decentralized power sharing method in order to eliminate the need for any communication between DGs or microgrids. This hybrid microgrid architecture allows different ac or dc loads and sources to be flexibly located in order to decrease the required power conversions stages and hence the system cost and efficiency. The performance of the proposed power control strategy is validated for different operating conditions, using simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment.