Photovoltaic Converter Compatible with Real-Time Explicit Power Flow Control Framework for Micro-Grids

This paper describes implementation of specific photovoltaic (PV) converter which is compatible with agentbased real-time explicit power flow control framework, called COMMELEC, proposed for future micro-grids in [1,2]. Developed converter is capable not only to track maximum power point, as conventional PV converters, but to realize specific active and reactive power, or power factor set-points which might be referenced very fast through communication network at 100 ms time-base or less. Main goal for using proposed PV converter interface within the COMMELEC organized micro-grid is to provide mechanism which supports maintaining power balance at all times (observed and influenced at 100 ms). Paper presents converter details about hardware, firmware and applied control algorithms, and at the end it gives test results obtained within working micro-grid demonstrator at DESL Laboratory, EPFL, Lausanne.