Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6161: Smooth Droop Control Strategy for Multi-Functional Inverters in Microgrids Considering Unplanned Off-Grid Transition and Dynamic Unbalanced Loads

Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6161: Smooth Droop Control Strategy for Multi-Functional Inverters in Microgrids Considering Unplanned Off-Grid Transition and Dynamic Unbalanced Loads

Energies doi: 10.3390/en18236161

Authors:
Jinhao Shen
Hua Zhang
Xueneng Su
Yiwen Gao
Kun Zheng
Cheng Long
Xinbo Liu

If unplanned off-grid events occur in microgrids, stable operation is disrupted. In particular, dynamic unbalanced loads, power pulse, and voltage changes also lead to system instability. To overcome these issues, this paper develops a smooth droop control strategy for multi-functional inverters. By introducing a QPR (quasi-proportional resonant) controller, the load voltage regulator is designed to compensate for the harmonic and unbalanced voltages of microgrids. Compared with traditional strategies, the proposed multi-functional inverter can reduce voltage pulses by more than 60%, and the off-grid voltage THD (total harmonic distortion) is decreased from 7% to less than 3%. At the same time, dynamic unbalanced loads and non-linear dynamic loads are both considered, and the derived strategy achieves smoother grid-connected and off-grid switching. In grid-connected mode (the microgrid connects to the distribution network at the PCC), the peak voltages and overshoots across transitions are definitely decreased, and continuous monitoring shows that the grid’s current THD stays steadily below 3%. This meets compatibility requirements, avoids harmonic interference on distribution networks, and follows the core principle of IEC TS 62898-1:2023. The simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed multi-function inverter control strategy for grid-connected inverters.