• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.801-810
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• 2011

An open circuit fault diagnostic method in IGBTs for the ac to dc converters used in microgrid applications is developed in this paper. An ac to dc converter is a key technology for microgrids in order to interface both distributed generation (DG) and renewable energy resources (RES). Also, highly reliable ac to dc converters are necessary to keep converters in continuous operation as long as possible during power switch fault conditions. Therefore, the proposed fault diagnostic method is developed to reduce the fault detection time and to avoid any other fault alarms because continuous operation is desired. The proposed diagnostic method is a combination of the absolute normalized dc current technique and the false alarm suppression algorithm to overcome the long fault detection time and fault alarm problems. The simulation and experimental results show that the developed fault diagnostic method can perform fault detection within about one cycle. The results illustrate that the reliability of an ac to dc converter interfaced with a microgrid can be improved by using the proposed fault diagnostic method.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.757-764
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• 2017

As the reduction of greenhouse gases(GHGs) emission has become a global issue, the microgrid markets are growing rapidly. With the sudden changes in the market, Korean government suggested a new business model called 'Self-Sufficient Energy Islands'. Its main concern is a stand-alone microgrid composed of Distributed Energy Resources(DERs) such as Renewable Energy Sources(RESs), Energy Storage System(ESS) and Fuel Cell, in order to minimize the emission of GHGs. According to these trend, this paper is written to propose an optimal sizing method of DERs in a stand-alone microgrid by using Genetic Algorithm(GA), one of the representative stochastic methods. It is to minimize the net present cost with the variables, size of RESs and ESS. In the process for optimization, the sunless days are considered as additional constraints. Through the case study analysis, the size of DERs installed in a microgrid system has been computed using the proposed method in MATLAB. And the result of MATLAB is compared with that of HOMER(Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources), a well-known energy modeling software.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.200-206
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• 2016

In the microgrid, inverters for energy storage system are generally constructed in a parallel structure because of capacity expandability, convenience of system maintenance, and reliability improvement. Parallel inverters are required to provide stable voltage to the critical load in PCC and to accurately share the current between each inverter. Furthermore, when islanding occurs, the inverters should change its operating mode from grid-connected mode to stand-alone mode. However, during clearing time and control mode change, the conventional control method has a negative impact on the critical load, that is, severe fluctuating voltage. In this study, a parallel operation control method is proposed. This method provides seamless mode transfer for the entire transition period, including clearing time and control mode change, and has accurate current sharing between each inverter. The proposed control method is validated through simulation and experiment.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.2157-2177
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• 2024

Demand response (DR) refers to the customers' active reaction with respect to the changes of market pricing or incentive policies. DR plays an important role in improving network reliability, minimizing operational cost and increasing end users' benefits. Hence, the integration of DR in the microgrid (MG) management is gaining increasing popularity nowadays. This paper proposes a day-ahead MG scheduling framework in conjunction with DR and investigates the impact of DR in optimizing load profile and reducing overall power generation costs. A linear responsive model considering time of use (TOU) price and incentive is developed to model the active reaction of customers' consumption behaviors. Thereafter, a novel multi-swarm sine cosine algorithm (MSCA) is proposed to optimize the total power generation costs in the framework. In the proposed MSCA, several sub-swarms search for better solutions simultaneously which is beneficial for improving the population diversity. A cooperative learning scheme is developed to realize knowledge dissemination in the population and a competitive substitution strategy is proposed to prevent local optima stagnation. The simulation results obtained by the proposed MSCA are compared with other meta-heuristic algorithms to show its effectiveness in reducing overall generation costs. The outcomes with and without DR suggest that the DR program can effectively reduce the total generation costs and improve the stability of the MG network.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.181-192
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• 2012

The increased penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is challenging the entire architecture of conventional electrical power system. Microgrid paradigm, featuring higher flexibility and reliability, becomes an attractive candidate for the future power grid. In this paper, an overview of microgrid configurations is given. Then, possible structure options and control methods of DER units are presented, which is followed by the descriptions of system controls and power management strategies for AC microgrids. Finally, future trends of microgrids are discussed pointing out how this concept can be a key to achieve a more intelligent and flexible power system.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.104-110
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• 2015

This paper describes a power quality disturbance generator for the test of a microgrid. The generator provides phase-angle jump as well as voltage sag with simple structure. The main components of the generator are SCR thyristors and transformers, therefore, high reliability and high efficiency can be obtained without switching losses. The operating principle of the proposed scheme is described and the voltage and current characteristics in case of voltage sag with phase-angle jump is analyzed. The usefulness of the proposed topology is verified through simulations and experimental results.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.102-110
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• 2012

This paper propose the advanced topology of UPQC, its DC link is connected with Lithium battery, to compensate the momentary interruptions. The proposed system can be operated as UPS mode using the parallel inverter, which control the charge or discharge of battery, in case of the interruption. We dvelop 100kVA UPQC using the proposed topology to rise the power quality and the reliability of Microgrid. We verify its usefulness through voltage compensation test, UPS operation test and etc. using Microgrid test facility.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.81-95
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• 2015

Microgrid, which can be considered as an integration of various dispersed resources (DRs), is characterized by number of DRs interfaced through the power electronics converters. The microgrid comprising these DRs is often operated in an islanded mode. To minimize the cost, reduce complexity and increase reliability, it is preferred to avoid any communication channel between them. Consequently, the droop control method is traditionally adopted to distribute active and reactive power among the DRs operating in parallel. However, the accuracy of distribution of active and reactive power among the DRs controlled by the conventional droop control approach is highly dependent on the value of line impedance, R/X i.e., resistance to reactance ratio of the line, voltage setting of inverters etc. The limitations of the conventional droop control approach are demonstrated and a modified droop control approach to reduce the effect of impedance mis-match and improve the time response is proposed. The error in reactive power sharing is minimized by inserting virtual impedance in line with the inverters to remove the mis-match in impedance. The improved time response is achieved by modifying the real-power frequency droop using arctan function. Simulations results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the control approach.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.67 no.12
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• pp.1595-1601
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• 2018

The biggest obstacle to the commercialization of small and medium size microgrid (MG) is the reliability and economics of MG operation and maintenance. In this paper, we propose an autonomous operation method that is implemented as an application program installed in the MG operating system in emergency situations. The proposed algorithm consists of four steps of distinction, recognition, determination and control of emergency situations that can occur in MG. A fuzzy-based situation decision algorithm has been proposed to eliminate the barriers of autonomous operation in actual emergency situation such as occurrence of bad data and communication delay. In addition, countermeasures have been suggested for cases where multiple emergency situations have occurred in combination. The proposed algorithm was tested in a 500kW actual microgrid site of a university. Through the test, the validity of the proposed method and its applicability to practical MG operation are verified.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.6_2
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• pp.1117-1125
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• 2023

The DC part of the DC microgrid power conversion system uses capacitors for buffers of charge and discharge energy for smoothing voltage and plays important roles such as high frequency component absorption, power balancing, and voltage ripple reduction. The capacitor uses an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, which has advantages of capacity, low price, and relatively fast charging/discharging characteristics. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors(AEC) have previous advantages, but over time, the capacity of the capacitors decreases due to deterioration and an increase in internal temperature, resulting in a decrease in use efficiency or an accident such as steam extraction due to electrolyte evaporation. It is necessary to take measures to prevent accidents because the failure diagnosis and detection of such capacitors are a very important part of the long-term operation, safety of use, and reliability of the power conversion system because the failure of the capacitor leads to not only a single problem but also a short circuit accident of the power conversion system.