Hardware-in-loop Control of a Standalone Microgrid

Microgrids are instrumental for renewable energy integration, owing to their distributed nature and disposition towards self-sufficiency. A standalone microgrid with photovoltaic panels, battery energy storage and diesel generator is designed, and corresponding implementation of control technique is presented in this paper. The transition between the available sources while holding the microgrid parameters within permissible limits are also discussed in detail. The models are constructed in Piecewise Linear Electrical Circuit Simulation (PLECS) environment and hardware in the loop control is correspondingly executed. The models are run in real-time using PLECS RT box for validation of the control strategy. The main objective of the microgrid so formed is to utilize the renewable source to the maximum, while providing uninterrupted power supply to the critical loads. Only when both photovoltaic source and the battery are unable to meet the critical load demand, the diesel generator gets used. Also, the non-critical loads are connected to the grid only when the generation from the photovoltaic source is able to meet the combined demand of critical and non-critical loads.