A Simplified Microgrid Model for the Validation of Islanded Control Logics

Microgrids (MGs) may represent a solution in the near future to many problems in the energy and electric world scenarios; such as pollution, high reliability, efficiency and so on. In particular, MGs' capability to work in an islanded configuration represents one of their most interesting features in terms of the improvement of the reliability of the system, the integration of renewable energy sources and the exploitation of the quick response and flexibility of power electronic devices in a stand-alone system. In order to study and validate innovative solutions and control strategies for islanded operation, there is a need to develop models for MG structures that can be reliable and sufficiently simple to be used for the purpose of the design and validation of innovative control systems. This paper proposes a simplified, first harmonic model for a generic structure of MG characterized by its use of only electronic power converter interfaced generation. The main advantages of the proposed method lie in the model's simplicity and its reduced solving time, thanks to the limited number of necessary parameters to describe the system. Moreover, the developed formulation allows the avoidance of specific (and often licensed) software to simulate the system. The performances of the proposed model have been validated by means of a comparative analysis of the results obtained against a more accurate representation of the system performed in the power system CAD-electromagnetic transient and DC (PSCAD-EMTDC) environment, which allows for the representation of each component with a very high level of detail. Such comparison has been performed using the University of Genoa Savona Campus Smart Polygeneration Microgrid testbed facility, due to the availability of all the necessary numerical values.