Co-design of the LCL Filter and Control for Grid-Connected Inverters

In most grid-connected inverters (GCI) with an LCL filter, since the design of both the LCL filter and the controller is done separately, considerable tuning efforts have to be exerted when compared to inverters using an L filter. Consequently, an integrated co-design of the filter and the controller for an LCL-type GCI is proposed in this paper. The control strategy includes only a PI current controller and a proportional grid voltage feed-forward controller. The capacitor is removed from the LCL filer and the design procedure starts from an L-type GCI with a PI current controller. After the PI controller has been settled, the capacitor is added back to the filter. Hence, it introduces a resonance frequency, which is identified based on the crossover frequencies to accommodate the preset PI controller. Using the proposed co-design method, harmonic standards are satisfied and other practical constraints are met. Furthermore, the grid voltage feed-forward control can bring an inherent damping characteristic. In such a way, the good control performance offered by the original L-type GCI and the sharp harmonic attenuation offered by the latter designed LCL filter can be well integrated. Moreover, only the grid current and grid voltage are sensed. Simulation and experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed design methodology.