Hardware in The Loop Implementation of The Control Strategies for The AC-Microgrid in OPAL-RT Simulator

Abstract

Renewable energy (RE) penetration through the concept of microgrids improves the efficiency and dependability of the electrical system. Power electronic (PE) converters with effective control strategies result in a successful interface between RESs and the electrical grid which enables power sharing among RESs, loads and grid. This paper aims to give a comprehensive analysis of the power sharing and power balancing within AC-microgrid and also investigate the essential control strategies operated during islanded (IS) mode and grid-tied (GT) mode. The impact and function of control levels or controllers associated with a particular control strategy in the power management during IS and GT mode are carried out in MATLAB/Simulink environment and hardware in the loop (HiL) implementation (using RT-LAB and OP5600) considering an AC-microgrid configuration with solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage scheme (ESS). The outcomes from the analysis illustrate that the power sharing within AC-microgrid is greatly influenced by the selection of designed parameters and performance of the controllers. Also, suitable operation of the controllers ensures proper power balancing throughout the entire operational time in AC-microgrid. Therefore, utilization of the maximum generated power from RESs and accurate power balancing within AC-microgrid are ensured by the precise operation of the used controllers.