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Wing Chun (Dennis) Chan

Improving the performance of PV modules in a DC microgrid.

Project title

V-dP/dI droop control technique with d²P/dI² to improve steady state performance for multiple PV modules in a DC microgrid

Supervisors

Project description

Recently islanded direct current (DC) microgrids are gaining popularity. This is due to the intermittent nature of renewables and a natural interface with DC renewable sources. Residential or small-scale commercial systems include many sources of renewables. They are integrated alongside various local energy storage systems and consumer loads. They are usually photovoltaic (PV). The output of PV modules and batteries is generally DC. Thus, we have developed the idea of utilising a common DC bus approach.

Solar power is one of the dominant sources of renewables. It provides clean energy to local consumers and feeds power into the distributed network. To facilitate embedded PV generation, an islanded DC microgrid must be compatible with the growing penetration of PV systems. But the conventional control method suffers from poor dynamic behaviour and low quality of PV power.

This study will develop a decentralised coordination PV droop control technique. The technique will achieve DC bus voltage restoration and proportional power balancing.

Our solution seamlessly transfers the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm to the voltage regulation mode. It does not need to establish a secure communication link between renewables. The novel second differential of our current approach is capable of minimising the PV power fluctuation. This yields an improved transient response of the system.

We will carry out small-scale practical experiments. We will validate the control scheme and evaluate the dynamic performance.