See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/321352980

Hybrid isochronous-droop control for power management in DC microgrids

Conference Paper · September 2017

DOI: 10.23919/EPE17ECCEEurope.2017.8099378

CITATION READS

1 60

2 authors:

Inam Nutkani Grahame Holmes

RMIT University RMIT University
55 PUBLICATIONS 1,022 CITATIONS 268 PUBLICATIONS 22,971 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Inam Nutkani on 10 October 2021.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

Hybrid Isochronous-Droop Control for Power Management in DC

Microgrids
Inam Ullah Nutkani, Donald Grahame Holmes
School of Engineering, RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia.
Tel.: +61 / (3) – 9925.2033
Fax: +61 / (3) – 9925.3242
E-Mail: inam.nutkani@rmit.edu.au
URL: http://www.rmit.edu.au

Keywords
«Microgrid», «Distributed Control», «Isochronous Control», «Droop Control», «Autonomous
Control», «Distributed Control», «Power Management», «Power Converters», «Voltage Regulation»

Abstract
This paper presents a new approach for generation source management in a dc microgrid, which uses a
hybrid isochronous-droop (HID) control strategy to overcome the inherent drawbacks of traditional
droop control and achieve a performance more towards that which can be achieved by
communication-based distributed or centralized control schemes. In particular, the approach allows the
number of dc sources in operation to be readily reduced at light loads, sources to be dispatched in
defined priority order as load increases, and better voltage regulation to be achieved without requiring
communication-based secondary control. However, since the strategy still retains the simplicity and
flexibility of a traditional droop scheme, non-dispatchable and dispatchable sources controlled using
traditional droop control can still be easily included into the microgrid operation. The power
management and voltage regulation performance of the proposed HID scheme has been validated for
different operating scenarios of the considered dc microgrid.

Introduction
AC and DC microgrids are currently emerging as the preferred form of deploying renewable energy
sources because of their potential to achieve optimal and efficient utilization of these types of energy
resources. Recently, DC distribution and microgrid systems have gained particular attention in the
research literature, with their advantages of reduced stages of power conversion and improved
efficiency when supplying dc loads [1]. One of the most important challenges for such systems is how
to control and manage the resources of the microgrid in the easiest and most economical way whilst
improving system resilience, reliability and power quality. This can be achieved using either a
centralized, decentralized, or distributed control architecture, each of which have particular advantages
and disadvantages depending on the requirements of the system loads and configuration context.
Decentralized control schemes are generally more robust, easier to implement and more economical
than centralized schemes or distributed schemes that require a dedicated communication network [2].
However, decentralized control typically has voltage performance limitations, since it is commonly
based on a P-V droop control concept where voltage degradation is used to maintain proportional
power sharing — i.e. the droop-controlled dc sources vary their terminal voltage in proportion to the
per unit power they are required to deliver by the microgrid load conditions. The characteristics of a
conventional droop scheme have been widely investigated for dc microgrids from a variety of aspects
[2-7]. For example, [2-3] have demonstrated the proportional power sharing behavior of generators
operated using droop control in dc microgrids. Further work has then highlighted that the proportional
power sharing accuracy is affected by different lengths of feeders and needs to be compensated using
techniques such as those reported in [4-5]. In addition, the dynamic characteristics and stability of a dc
microgrid have been widely investigated, as summarized in [6]. From this work, it is now recognised
that higher droop gains (i.e. a larger voltage deviation as the delivered power increases) can lead to

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.1

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

system instability, while a lower droop gain (i.e. a smaller voltage deviation as the delivered power
increases) degrades the microgrid power sharing accuracy. Hence the achievable voltage deviation of a
droop-controlled microgrid becomes constrained within a relatively narrow range and the system
cannot be operated effectively outside this region.
Furthermore, with conventional droop control, all dc sources must remain operational irrespective of
the microgrid’s loading conditions, which limits the capability of droop control to support power
management within the microgrid. Ideally, for any practical microgrid, each of the available sources
should be dispatchable based on load demand, with the voltage also regulated to within a narrow range
around its nominal value. To achieve this performance, low-bandwidth communication based
secondary and tertiary control systems are typically used in conjunction with a traditional droop
approach [7]. Secondary control is used to regulate the voltage of the droop-controlled microgrid to its
nominal value, while tertiary control is used to determine the number of sources required to operate,
and their power set points, to achieve economic operation of the microgrid. Such a communication-
based secondary and tertiary control approach is often not satisfactory for many situations due to
reliability concerns and the cost of the communication network.
This paper now proposes a new approach for controlling a dc microgrid that combines traditional
droop concepts with isochronous control of the dc sources, to directly achieve both dispatchable power
management and improved voltage regulation. Compared with a conventional droop approach, the
proposed hybrid isochronous-droop (HID) control offers an improved level of performance which
until now could only be achieved by using a communication-based control strategy. In particular the
HID scheme can both reduce the number of generators operating during light load conditions and vary
their dispatch priority by simply defining their nominal operating voltage. At the same time, the
proposed scheme improves the microgrid voltage regulation compared to a traditional droop and cost-
based droop approach [5]. The principles of the proposed HID scheme, theoretical modelling and
initial performance validation based on simulation studies will now be presented.

Proposed Hybrid Isochronous-Droop Control Scheme

Traditional Droop Control
The essential concept of droop control derives from rotating synchronous generators, and is now
widely emulated in power electronics-based generation sources to achieve autonomous power
management in microgrids. For the example dc microgrid shown in Fig. 1, the droop controlled
sources are programmed to respond to a microgrid load change by adjusting their power output and
terminal voltage in accordance with the conventional droop curve shown in Fig 2(a). Following the
load change, all the droop controlled sources in microgrid settle at new common operating point
(voltage) on the curve, and thus automatically share power proportional to their rated capacity.
The mathematical model of traditional droop control is given by (1) and (2) without and with feeder
voltage drop compensation, respectively. The voltage reference ‫ܧ‬௥௘௙ǡ௜ of a droop controlled source is
set using (1) and it can also be interpreted from the droop curve in Fig. 2(a), where it can be seen that
the generator terminal voltage has a maximum value of ‫ܧ‬௠௔௫ at zero power output and gradually
reduces with the increasing load. As a result, the voltage of the droop-controlled microgrid varies
within a defined range, between the nominal value of ‫ܧ‬௠௔௫ = 410 V at 0% microgrid load and a
minimum value of ‫ܧ‬௠௜௡ ൌ ͵ͻͲܸ at 100% microgrid load.
‫ܧ‬௥௘௙ǡ௜ ൌ ‫ܧ‬௠௔௫ െ  ߛ௜ ܲ௜  (1)

‫ܧ‬௥௘௙ǡ௜ ൌ ‫ܧ‬௠௔௫ െ  ߛ௜ ܲ௜ ൅ ܼ௜ ݅௜  (2)

where: ‫ܧ‬௠௔௫ and ‫ܧ‬௠௜௡ are the maximum and minimum voltage limits of the dc sources and the
microgrid
‫ܧ‬௥௘௙ǡ௜ is the voltage reference of ݅ ௧௛ dc source
ܲ௜ and ݅௜ are the power and current output of ݅ ௧௛ dc source
ܼ௜ is the feeder impedance compensation component
ߛ௜ ‹•–Š‡†”‘‘’‰ƒ‹‘ˆ݅ ௧௛ † •‘—” ‡ ൌ  ሺ‫ܧ‬௠௔௫ െ ‫ܧ‬௠௜௡ ሻȀܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.2

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

Fig. 1. Example DC Microgrid

(a) (b)
Fig. 2. Generators mode of operation (a) Traditional Droop and Isochronous (b) Proposed Hybrid
Isochronous and Droop Control

As discussed already, traditional droop control defined in this way achieves proportional power
sharing between all dc sources without requiring any communication links, but it is not an effective
economical solution from the microgrid operation perspective. Hence the usage of droop control only
as a standalone solution for power management in a microgrid is not viable, and a higher level of
communication-based centralised or distributed control is required for voltage regulation and
economic dispatch of the generation sources.
Isochronous Control
The alternative approach to droop control is where the generation sources operate in an isochronous
control mode with a zero droop gain, as shown also in Fig. 2(a). Generators operating in this way
directly regulate their terminal voltage to maintain a defined nominal value whilst providing a desired
(set point) output power. However, parallel operation of two or more generation sources in an
isochronous control mode does require communication between them to ensure that their power output
does not deviate from the set-points as they try to regulate their terminal voltage. Note also that the
terminal voltage of each source may also need to vary to compensate for voltage drops in different
lengths of feeders or cable size.
Because of this dependence on a communication network, the application of isochronous control for
power management in a microgrid has not gained particular attention to date since its requirements are
essentially the same as for a communication dependent secondary control approach. However, as now
shown in this paper, the isochronous mode can be used in a hybrid combination with droop control for
power management in dc microgrids without any communication links.

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.3

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

Autonomous Hybrid Isochronous-Droop Control

The proposed hybrid isochronous-droop (HID) scheme presents an alternative approach for power
management in a DC microgrid that is fully autonomous and independent of communication links.
Furthermore, unlike the simultaneous operation of all generators that occurs with traditional droop, the
microgrid dc sources can be scheduled in any required sequence using this strategy. The general
concept of the HID scheme for the example microgrid shown in Fig. 1 is explained with the help of
Fig 2(b), with the first prioritized dc source starting in isochronous mode to supply the initial (light)
load demand and to regulate the microgrid voltage to its defined nominal voltage level. As this source
approaches its maximum generation limit with increasing load, the responsibility of power balancing
and voltage regulation needs to be transitioned to the next source in the priority list. This is done by
changing the first source to operate in droop mode as it approaches its maximum power limit, which
slightly sags its terminal voltage and thus provides a communication-less signal to the next designated
source to take over the responsibility of microgrid power balancing and voltage regulation. With this
approach, sources controlled by the HID scheme will automatically and autonomously come online in
a defined sequence as the microgrid load increases, and will similarly go offline with deceasing load.
At any particular operating point, the number of online sources will depend on the load demand,
resulting in optimal and efficient management of power in the microgrid. Furthermore, the scheme
enables the scheduled dispatching of dc sources based on various factors such as life cycle cost, fuel
cost and/or efficiency, by changing the priority order at which each source comes online. Finally, as
compared with a droop only scheme, the microgrid voltage regulation is improved because the target
voltage reduction is less as each source loads up.
The detailed operating principle of the proposed HID control scheme is explained by (3) and Fig. 2(b).
ܱ݂݂Ǣ‫ܧ‬௠௚ ൐ ሺ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ ൅ ο‫ܧ‬ሻ
‫ۓ‬
ۖ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ ൅ ο‫ ܧ‬െ ߜ௅ǡ௜ ൈ ܲ௜ Ǣ Ͳ ൑ ܲ௜ ൑ ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ 
‫ܧ‬௥௘௙ǡ௜ ൌ (3)
‫ܧ ۔‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ Ǣ ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ൏ ܲ௜ ൏ ሺͳͲͲ െ ‫ܦ‬ሻΨ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜
ۖ‫ܧ‬
‫ ە‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ െ ߜுǡ௜ ൣܲ௜ െ ሺͳͲͲ െ ‫ܦ‬ሻΨ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ൧ǢሺͳͲͲ െ ‫ܦ‬ሻΨ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ൑ ܲ௜ ൑ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ 

where: ‫ܧ‬௥௘௙ǡ௜ and ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ are the reference and nominal voltage of ݅ ௧௛ dc source
‫ܧ‬௠௚ is the voltage of the microgrid
ο‫ ܧ‬is the nominal voltage difference between the ݅ ௧௛ and ሺ݅ ൅ ͳሻ௧௛ dc sources
ܲ௜ and ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ are the output and maximum rated power of the ݅ ௧௛ dc source
‫ ܦ‬is the percentage of dc source maximum power that is allocated for the droop mode
regions
ߜ௅ǡ௜ ൌ ሺ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ିଵ െ ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ ሻȀሺ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ሻ ൌ ο‫ܧ‬Ȁሺ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ሻ is the droop gain of ݅ ௧௛
dc source as it starts
ߜுǡ௜ ൌ ሺ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ െ ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ାଵ ሻȀሺ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ሻ ൌ ο‫ܧ‬Ȁሺ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ሻ is the droop gain of ݅ ௧௛
dc source near full load
As shown in Fig. 2(b), dc source #1 (i=1) initially starts in voltage regulation mode and supplies
power alone when the microgrid load demand is low. As the power output of source #1 nears its
maximum power limit at ሺͳͲͲ െ ‫ܦ‬ሻΨ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ , its operating mode transitions to droop to create a
small microgrid voltage reduction of ο‫ܧ‬. Since this source is nearly at its maximum power output,
source #2 now comes online to share power in droop control mode. Operating the sources #1 and #2 in
droop mode in this way sags the microgrid voltage just enough to provide a communication-less signal
to the next source to come online for power balancing and voltage regulation. As shown in Fig. 2(b),
the source #2 terminal voltage will reduce to its defined nominal level i.e. ‫ܧ‬௠௚ ൌ  ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡଶ ൌ ͶͲ͹Ǥͷܸ
when its power output is D% of rated power i.e. ܲ௜ ൌ ‫ܦ‬Ψ ൈ ܲ௠௔௫ǡ௜ ൌ ͷΨ ൈ ͳͲܹ݇. After this, the
source #2 mode of operation changes from droop to voltage regulation as it continues to load up. With
a further increase in load demand, the source #2 operating mode transitions back to droop as it nears
full rated output, in parallel with the next generator (dc source #3). The subsequent generators (source
#4 and source # 5) come online in the same way as the microgrid load demand continues to increase,
with the number of sources operating at any point in time depending only on the microgrid load
demand. Similarly, as the load demand decreases, each source’s operating mode will transition in the

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.4

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

reverse sequence, with unrequired sources turn-off autonomously when they are not required. Note
also that a further benefit of this approach of engaging the next generator as the existing sources are
near to fully loaded, is to maintain an adequate online reserve capability for any step-load changes that
may occur on the microgrid.
With this strategy, each generator’s dispatch priority can be set by defining its ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡ௜ voltage level
based on factors such as life cycle cost, fuel cost and/or efficiency. Compared with a traditional
proportional power sharing scheme, this proposed power management strategy will be more optimal
and efficient. Furthermore, since the proposed HID scheme retains the flexibility and features of a
traditional droop scheme, generators such as controlled using traditional droop scheme can also be
integrated and will share power based on their respective droop characteristics. Moreover, non-
dispatchable generators can be added to provide maximum power, by considering them as a negative
load. This theoretical concept of the HID scheme has been validated for the example microgrid at
different load conditions, as presented in next section.

Performance Validation
The performance of the proposed HID scheme has been confirmed in simulation for a dc microgrid
comprising three dc sources, as shown in Fig. 3. The online initiation set point voltages for each of
these sources was set to match the first three characteristics shown in Fig.2(b). The microgrid total
power capacity was 25 kW, and the validation test was conducted for two scenarios of load change. In
the first scenario, the microgrid was operated at four load steps of 5 kW (light load), 10 kW, 15 kW
and 22.5 kW (heavy load) using both traditional droop and the new proposed HID scheme. In the
second scenario, the microgrid was operated at ramping load from 5 kW (light load) to 25 kW (full-
load) and then down again from 25 kW to 5 kW using the new proposed HID scheme. Figs. 4 and 5
show the results.
Scenario-1: Load Step Change
Fig. 4(a) shows the microgrid performance at four load steps under conventional droop control, where
sources #1, #2 and #3 share proportional power based on their rated power capacity as the microgrid
voltage varies across the range of 406.0 V ļ 392.0 V in response to the load changes from 5 kW to
22.5 kW. This is as predicted by the traditional droop characteristic shown in Fig. 2(a). Fig. 4(b)
shows the response of the same microgrid using the HID scheme over the same sequence of load
changes, where the sources now come online in sequence as the load increases, with a significantly
reduced voltage droop at intermediate load levels. Fig. 4(c) shows how the mode of operation of the
three DC sources changes between isochronous and droop as the microgrid load increases.
As anticipated, during light load condition before the first load step at 0.5 sec (operating point #1),
generation source #1 produces the required 5 kW power by itself while isochronously regulating the
microgrid voltage at its nominal value of ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡଵ ൌ ͶͳͲ. At 0.5 sec, the load demand increases from
5 kW to 10 kW, source #1 reaches its maximum power output limit, and its mode transitions from
voltage regulation to droop mode. This results in a small voltage sag, causing source #2 to start in
droop mode. This region of operation is highlighted as operating point #2 in Fig 4(b) and (c). As the
load further increases to 15 kW at 1 sec, source #2 takeovers the responsibility for power balancing

Fig. 3. The DC microgrid used for the validation of the proposed HID scheme

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.5

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

(a)

(b)

(c)
Fig. 4. Results showing the generation sources (a) output power and microgrid voltage with the
traditional droop scheme (b) output power and microgrid voltage with the proposed HID scheme
and (c) modes of operation with the proposed HID scheme at four different load conditions

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.6

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

and voltage regulation at its defined voltage level of ~ 407.5 V, shown as operating point #3 in Fig.
4(b) and (c). At 1.5 sec, the load is further increased to 22.5 kW, which causes sources #1 and #2 to
reach their maximum power limits. Consequently the microgrid voltage sags a little further, and source
#3 comes online. From 1.5 sec and onwards, source #3 then balances the power, supplying ~ 2.5 kW
and regulating the microgrid voltage in the microgrid to its nominal set point voltage of ~ 405.0 V,
highlighted as operating point #4 in Fig. 4(c). Hence, compared with traditional proportional sharing
based droop control, the HID scheme has reduced the number of generators in operation during
intermediate load condition, i.e. up to 0.5 sec only one source is operating and from 0.5 sec to 1.5 sec
only two sources are operating. In addition, the HID scheme has demonstrated better microgrid
voltage regulation, as shown in Fig. 4.
Scenario-2: Load Ramp Change
To reaffirm the performance and robustness of the proposed the HID scheme, the microgrid shown in
Fig. 3 was tested under ramped load conditions. The load was steadily ramped-up from 5 kW (low-
load) to 25 kW (full-load) and then ramped-down from 25 kW to 5 kW. Fig. 5 shows the auto-mode
transitions of the sources with the increasing and decreasing load, managing the power balance and
voltage regulation very effectively within a narrow voltage range as required, as the load changes.

Fig. 5. Results showing the microgrid overall load demand, generation sources output power and
microgrid voltage with the proposed HID scheme.

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.7

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 HYBRID ISOCHRONOUS-DROOP CONTROL FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN DC NUTKANI INAM ULLAH
MICROGRIDS

In particular, during the load ramp-up from 0 to 0.21 sec, source #1 supplies the load demand by itself
while isochronously regulating the microgrid voltage at its nominal value of ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡଵ ൌ ͶͳͲ, as
shown in Fig. 5. At ~ 0.21 sec, source #1 reaches the maximum power output threshold limit for its
mode transition from voltage regulation to droop mode. As expected from the proposed HID scheme
shown in Fig. 2.b, source #1 and source #2 then operate in droop mode and introduce a minor voltage
sag in the microgrid. As the load further increases at ~0.27 sec, source #2 takes over the responsibility
for power balancing and voltage regulation at its defined voltage level of ~ 407.5 V. Source #2 then
maintains the power balance and regulates the microgrid voltage until it reaches its maximum power
output threshold limits for its mode transition from voltage regulation to droop mode, at ~ 0.715 sec.
Consequently, source #3 comes into operation and takes over the responsibility of power management
and voltage regulation in the microgrid. From 0.765 sec to 1.24 sec, source # 3 takes the lead in power
balancing and voltage regulation to its nominal value ‫ܧ‬௡௢௠ǡଷ ൌ ͶͲͷ in the microgrid.
As the load ramps-down after ~1.3 sec, the overall load demand reduces and can be met by source #1
and source #2 only. Therefore, source #3 should turn-off. This expected behavior is highlighted from
the results shown in Fig. 5, where source #3 turns-off from ~1.3 sec onward while source #2 again
takes the lead in power balancing and voltage regulation with source #1 operating at its maximum
power capacity. As the load decreases further, source #2 turns-off at ~1.8 sec and the load demand is
supplied by source #1 only.
This scenario shows how the generators can be dispatched in a user defined sequence without any
communication links. With the changing load demand in a microgrid, the generators turn-on and off
automatically and autonomously while meeting the load demand and regulating the microgrid voltage
in a narrow range as compared with a traditional droop control scheme.

Conclusion
A hybrid isochronous-droop (HID) control scheme has been presented for autonomous power
management in dc microgrids. With this scheme, a limited amount of voltage droop is used to
marginally degrade the microgrid voltage as the generation sources become fully loaded. This
provides a communication-less signal to the next scheduled source to take over the responsibility for
power balancing, operating in isochronous mode as it is loaded to maintain the microgrid voltage
regulation. With this strategy, generators can be dispatched in scheduled priority order based on the
factors such as life-cycle cost, operating costs, and/or efficiency. Moreover, the number of operating
sources is only based on load demand, rather than requiring all sources to simultaneously operate
under all loading conditions as happens with a traditional droop control scheme. The concept and
theoretical understanding of the HID scheme have been validated for an example microgrid operating
at several load conditions. More detailed performance of the proposed power management scheme for
both dc and ac microgrids operating under different scenarios will be reported in the forthcoming
research papers.

References
[1]. G. Venkataramanan and C. Marnay, "A larger role for microgrids," in IEEE Power and Energy Mag., vol. 6,
no. 3, pp. 78-82, May-June 2008.
[2]. B. K. Johnson, R. H. Lasseter, F. L. Alvarado, and R. Adapa, “Expandable multiterminal dc systems based
on voltage droop,” IEEE Trans. Power Del., vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1926–1932, Oct. 1993.
[3]. P. C. Loh, D. Li, Y. K. Chai and F. Blaabjerg, "Autonomous Operation of Hybrid Microgrid With AC and
DC Subgrids," in IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 2214-2223, May 2013.
[4]. Khorsandi, M. Ashourloo and H. Mokhtari, "A Decentralized Control Method for a Low-Voltage DC
Microgrid," in IEEE Trans. Eng. Conv., vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 793-801, Dec. 2014.
[5]. I. U. Nutkani, W. Peng, P. C. Loh and F. Blaabjerg, "Cost-based droop scheme for DC microgrid," 2014
IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE), Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 765-769, 2014.
[6]. F. Gao; S. Bozhko; A. Costabeber; C. Patel; P. Wheeler; C. Hill; G. Asher, "Comparative Stability Analysis
of Droop Control Approaches in Voltage Source Converters-Based DC Microgrids," in IEEE Trans. Power
Electron. , vol. PP, no.99, pp.1-1.
[7]. L. Che and M. Shahidehpour, "DC Microgrids: Economic Operation and Enhancement of Resilience by
Hierarchical Control," in IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 2517-2526, Sept. 2014.

EPE'17 ECCE Europe ISBN: 9789075815276 et CFP17850-ART P.8

© assigned jointly to the European Power Electronics and Drives Association & the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authorized licensed use limited to: RMIT University Library. Downloaded on October 10,2021 at 13:23:19 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
View publication stats