Novel intelligent model following controller and PQ droop controller operated nuclear-PV-biogas hybrid microgrid and EV charging station

Abstract

The increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has led to significant challenges in the management of renewable-powered grid-connected electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS), particularly in maintaining grid stability. This paper introduces a novel Intelligent Model-Following Controller (IMFC) for EVCS integrated with a hybrid microgrid consisting of nuclear, photovoltaic (PV), and biogas power sources. The proposed IMFC aims to improve voltage and frequency stability, as well as overall energy management, compared to traditional controllers such as the PQ Droop Controller (PQDC). A comprehensive simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of both controllers under various dynamic conditions. A comparative analysis is conducted between IMFC and a PQDC to assess their performance in real-world scenarios to control the power system responses (active power, reactive power, voltage and frequency) of the hybrid system. Two consecutive three-phase faults have been implemented within the system and the transient response have been analyzed for both the controllers. The results show that the IMFC achieves a renewable fraction of 89.1%, with a cost of energy of $0.0132/kWh, and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 73%, demonstrating its economic feasibility and environmental benefits. The IMFC outperforms the PQDC in terms of transient response and system resilience, reducing the transient recovery time to 1.5 s, compared to 2.2 s for PQDC. Additionally, the IMFC provides better frequency regulation with a peak deviation of ±0.04 p.u., as opposed to ±0.1 p.u. for PQDC. These findings highlight the superiority of the IMFC in ensuring stable, efficient, and sustainable operation of hybrid renewable-powered EVCS.