Combined Voltage and Frequency Control for Diverse Standalone Microgrid Networks Using Flexible IDC with Novel FOC: A Real-Time Validation

Abstract

In this paper, a maiden application of combined voltage and frequency control ensures voltage, frequency, and power regulation in diverse standalone low voltage AC microgrid (MG) networks by combining flexible improved droop control (IDC) with a novel fractional-order controller (FOC) proposed. An effort is made to design an IDC into the control loop based on virtual power, virtual negative resistance, inductance, and FOC to ensure power decupling and compensate voltage source converter (VSC) based distributed generators feeder voltage drop. A maiden proportional fractional integral derivative filter plus double derivative controller is used to precisely monitor VSC voltage and current reference value for reducing the control errors. The controller robustness regarding system parameters uncertainties, unmodeled dynamics, and disturbance in the MG system is ensured by a new memetic salp swarm algorithm by finding optimal controller parameters. Several simulation studies in the MATLAB Simulink environment were conducted to verify the efficacy of the proposed technique. The suggested control methodology is also investigated by hardware in the loop using the OPAL-RT real-time simulator platform to demonstrate the controllers practical functional realization. The findings confirmed the efficacy of the proposed strategy.