Comparative Analysis of a DC-microgrid Incorporating Hybrid Battery/Supercapacitor Storage System Addressing Pulse Load

Abstract

Renewable energy sources (RESs) have become the primary power source of microgrids with many merits. However, RESs depend on the climate (i.e., wind speed and solar irradiance), leading to intermittent power generation. Moreover, some of the particular loads, such as the pulse load, severely impact the microgrid performance. Therefore, energy storage systems (ESSs) are considered a vital solution to improve microgrid performance and overcome microgrid challenges. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the performance of a DC-microgrid incorporating a battery storage system (BSS) and a hybrid battery/supercapacitors storage system (B-SCSS). The study addressed the fluctuations of solar radiation and wind velocity on the system performance in the presence of both energy storage technologies. In addition, the sudden load disturbance is also investigated with particular attention to the pulse load. The overall microgrid components are designed and controlled based on the PI controller to enhance the system's stability. The photovoltaic and wind energy are utilized with maximum power tracking (MPPT) to get the full benefits from RESs. The B-SCSS is proposed to maintain the DC-bus voltage, load power, and frequency constant during various disturbance events. The obtained results using Matlab software prove the effectiveness of the proposed method.