A simple electric energy router circuit for exchanging active power of AC grids

Abstract

As the converter exchanging the active powers between AC grids/ connection points, electric energy router (EER) gained popularity in grid interconnection, smart grid and energy internet systems. Conventionally, AC/DC with DC/AC i.e. the back-to-back (BTB) converter is the typical choice for EER. However, BTB converters must withstand the high voltage of the AC grid and the power capacity is usually very high. This paper proposes a simple circuit for EER connecting two AC grids or connection points with the same voltage amplitude and phase. This EER can exchange the active power of AC grids by low-voltage converter. Meantime, the power capacity of this EER is much lower than the rating of the exchanged active power. Verification results show validity of the proposed EER circuit.