NSF Award
1808279
The U.S. Department of Energy defines the microgrid as a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid; it can connect to and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid-connected or island-mode. The modernized microgrid (MG) mimics large power systems, but it has its own characteristics which must be effectively addressed. In this project, fully integrated power and energy system (FIPES) concept will be introduced and investigated as a new trend in the integration of MGs. The FIPES-based MGs will be able to supply a high power, including more flexibility in loads, improve power quality, and will be able to integrate an increased number of battery energy storage systems (BESSs) to benefit from their dynamic response and/or energy arbitrage. This research develops advanced MG's protections, controls, and automation and helps them merge into one single process. The developed theories of this project can be tailored and broadly developed for many networked-type of systems in other domains, including control engineering applications; advanced naval power systems; communication-based automated energy systems; multi-agent systems; and process control systems. Moreover, the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation systems enhanced here can be broadly utilized. The project will give specific attention to the involvement of underrepresented minorities at Georgia Southern University and Mississippi State University in STEM research and learning. They will be engaged in multidisciplinary topics in modernized power grids with renewables' integration. The project developments will be used to enhance public knowledge through outreach programs and public presentations. Improvement of existing and development of new STEM curriculum topics will be given close consideration.<br/><br/>This proposal performs fundamental investigations into synthesis and development of robust and advanced control algorithms, protection schemes, and simulation methodologies for a fully integrated power and energy system (FIPES) concept as the future trend in an MG. This fundamental research will be based on high penetration of fast, bidirectional power electronic converters to fully integrate renewables and BESSs in a multi-infeed ac/dc architecture. Here, the control, stability, performance, and protection objectives are closely tied and shall be addressed integrally by adopting advanced power electronic devices. This research also considers the power quality, in addition to fault-tolerance aspects, and will also investigate and address the associated cybersecurity concerns via an innovative approach that models cyberattacks through fault-tolerant systems. The architectural complexity and components diversity yield to a highly complex dynamical system where the conventional linear approaches are not competitive enough to address the required objectives. They need to be addressed by developing advanced nonlinear and robust approaches which are also able to take into account the coupling dynamics; frequency-variable conditions; and fast, tight time-constants. Therefore, the power system's design and performance goals will be achieved at lower hardware capacities and requirements using hybrid ac/dc structure. This project will thus address those aspects by developing robust, advanced control and protection systems for FIPES-based MGs using an approach that consists of integrating multiple dynamics and deploying nonlinear, dynamical systems theories. Control-/power-hardware-in-the-loop (C/PHIL) testing and digital real-time simulations will be utilized to assess the functionality of proposed control philosophies and protection schemes. As regards the stability and performance of PHIL testing, new improved PHIL methods will be proposed accordingly.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
