Droop-based Control Strategy to operate a DC Nanogrid under the Net Zero Energy Concept

José C. U. Pena; Jéssica A. A. Silva; Mateus P. Dias; Debora P. Damasceno; Luiza H. S. Santos; José A. Pomilio

doi:10.18618/REP.e202529

Authors

José C. U. Pena Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5958-6227
Jéssica A. A. Silva Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6042-1657
Mateus P. Dias Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1624-4582
Debora P. Damasceno Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2872-6869
Luiza H. S. Santos Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5397-9871
José A. Pomilio Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5457-4438

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18618/REP.e202529

Keywords:

DC microgrids, power control, droop control, EMS, hardware-in-the-loop, Net-Zero-Energy

Abstract

This work presents a droop-based control strategy for a dc nanogrid designed to operate under the Net Zero Energy (NZE) concept, enabling seamless transitions between grid-connected and islanded modes. The nanogrid integrates photovoltaic (PV) generation, a fast electric vehicle charging station (EVSE), and a battery energy storage system (BESS) into a $700~$V dc bus interfacing with the ac grid via a bidirectional three-phase AC-DC converter. An isolated DC-DC converter establishes a secondary $48~$V dc bus for powering dc loads. An energy management system (EMS) defines an optimal day-ahead power dispatch for the BESS to meet NZE objectives. At the primary control level, a modified power-to-voltage droop strategy ensures accurate power tracking and parallel operation with the AC-DC converter. This approach enables continuous voltage regulation of the main bus under instantaneous power imbalances caused by schedule deviations or operational mode transitions. Additionally, the proposed strategy eliminates the need for secondary control or high-bandwidth communication. The system is validated through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations using the Typhoon HIL 604 platform, with the control strategy implemented on a DSP. Real-time simulation results confirm stable performance under various operating conditions, including transitions between modes.

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Author Biographies

José C. U. Pena, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

was born in 1984 in Peru. He received the B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering from the National University of Engineering, Lima, Peru, in 2010, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from São Paulo State University, Brazil, in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Since 2022, he is a Researcher with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas. His research interests include power electronics, modeling and control of power converters, microgrids, and power quality. Dr. Peña is a member of the SOBRAEP and IEEE.

Jéssica A. A. Silva, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

was born in 1994 in Brazil. She received the B.S. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil, in 2016 and 2019, respectively, the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, in 2023. She is currently pursuing a postdoctoral degree at the UNICAMP. Her research interests include modeling, optimizing, analyzing, and controlling distributed energy resources and microgrids and developing methodologies for energy management systems in power systems.

Mateus P. Dias, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

was born in 1996 in Quixadá, Brazil. He received the B.S.degree in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil in 2017. He received the M.Sc. degree in 2020 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil. His research interests include power electronics, More electric Aircraft and dc microgrids. M.Sc. Dias is a student member of the SOBRAEP and IEEE.

Debora P. Damasceno, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

was born in 1994 in Fortaleza, Brazil. She received the B.S. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2018 and 2021, respectively. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil. Her research interests include power electronics, modeling and control of power converters, and dc microgrids. M.Sc. Damasceno is a student member of the SOBRAEP and IEEE.

Luiza H. S. Santos, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

was born in 1997 in São Paulo, Brazil. She received a B.S. degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas in 2019 and an M.Sc. degree at University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in 2022, both in Electrical Engineering. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil. Her research interests include microgrids, strategies for energy management systems, digital twins for distributed energy resources, and protection coordination. M.Sc. Santos is a student member of IEEE.

José A. Pomilio, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

was born in Jundiaí, Brazil, in 1960. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, in 1983, 1986, and 1991, respectively. From 1988 to 1991, he was the Head of the Power Electronics Group, Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory. He was a visiting professor at the University of Padova in 1993 and 2015 and at the Third University of Rome in 2003 in Italy. He is a Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, where he has been teaching since 1984. His main interests are power electronics and power quality. Dr. Pomilio was the President of the Brazilian Power Electronics Society in 2000–2002 and a member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Power Electronics Society in 1997–2002.

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