Fault-Tolerant Power Converter Control Strategy for Reliable Operation of Renewable Microgrid Systems

Abstract

Microgrids built on renewable energy have proven to be an efficient measure in enhancing the sustainability, dependability, and resilience in the contemporary power distribution system. These systems have built-in distributed renewable energy sources of photovoltaic (PV) arrays and wind turbines as well as local loads using power electronic converters, an essential element in controlling power flow and system stability. The effectiveness of the microgrids functionality is, however, strongly correlated with the efficiency of these converters, which can malfunction easily due to the errors of switching devices, sensor problems, heating and cooling issues, and control flaws. These faults may cause voltage instability, a higher harmonic distortion, and lower power quality and, in the worst scenario, the shutdown of the system altogether. In order to overcome these challenges, this paper will offer a fault-tolerant control system of power converters in renewable micro grid systems in order to increase the reliability of operations and provide constant power supply. The three major mechanisms incorporated in the proposed approach include: real-time fault identification, precise fault localization and real time re-configuring adaptive control. This is achieved by having a model predictive control (MPC)-based supervisory controller to keep the parameters of the system monitored, detect when there is an abnormal operation condition of the system, and dynamically alter converter switching signals to achieve stable operation under fault event conditions. The plan will also allow the microgrid to maintain voltage and frequency control in instances where some converter elements have failures. The suggested control scheme is verified in the simulation based on a renewable microgrid model in various fault conditions, such as the fault of switches and fault of sensors. The results of the simulation prove that the suggested approach provides a high level of system robustness, minimises the recovery time, the voltage deviations, and the overall power quality in comparison with the traditional control method. Thus, the suggested fault-tolerant converter control approach offers a valid and effective way of enhancing stability and resiliency of renewable microgrids.