ABSTRACT

Distributed energy resources (DER) have potential to fulfill customers growing needs for
energy supply and power quality. Microgrids have shown promise to interconnect a large,
heterogeneous set of environmentally-friendly and distributed energy resources and controllable
loads and integrate them with the utility grid. The microgrid is an integrated energy delivery
system that consists of interconnected distributed energy resources and controllable loads and
can operate in parallel with or isolated from the main power grid. The approach addressed
provides a hierarchical framework to aggregate a wide range of distributed energy resources at
several levels with DC, AC and synchronous links. The collection of the aggregated units at each
level represents those distributed units themselves to the upper level as a single self-controlled
entity (DC or AC, generator or load). As an integrated energy system, the microgrid appears to
the utility grid as indistinguishable from other currently legitimate customers. Advanced power
electronics interfaces and their controls make it possible to achieve a desirable coordination
among distributed energy resources, DC links, AC links, and the surrounding power system. This
work discusses a variety of power electronics interfaces and corresponding controls for the
hybrid microgrid paradigm. The general control framework and specific control schemes are
presented. The performances of the proposed control schemes are evaluated in a typical DC-
linked microgrid and a representative AC-linked microgrid respectively. It may provide an
effective way to integrate a heterogeneous set of small-size distributed energy resources into the
existing electric power infrastructure. The collection of aggregated energy resource units at each
level represents those distributed resources to the upper level as synchronized entity as a DC or
AC, generator or load. At the top level, the collection of all distributed energy resources in the
microgrid appears to the utility grid as indistinguishable from many other currently legitimate
customer sites. Maintaining this profile relies on the flexibility of advanced power electronics
that control the interfaces among distributed energy units, DC links, AC links, and the
surrounding power system. In this proposed research work discusses some major issues pertinent
to behavioral functions and technical requirements of the power electronics interfaces and
controls. A decoupled control framework is developed for the hybrid microgrid and the
performances are evaluated.