Implementation of a Dynamic Real Time Grid-Connected DC Microgrid Simulation Model for Power Management in Small Communities

Conventional power grids consist of a complex fabric of generation plants, substations and transmission lines that help supply electricity to cities, homes and small businesses. Microgrids are smaller bound power grids that can function independent from the main power grid. Microgrids optimize power system efficiency, supply loads effectively, and enable easy integration of renewable energy resources. To verify microgrid designs, complex and dynamic simulation models are typically used. In most cases, computer simulations are limited by slow computational speed, which can lead to unrealistic and unreliable results. The concept of Real Time (RT) simulation introduces faster computational speed, which allows computational models to obtain specific solutions in RT. This paper presents an implementation of a dynamic RT state space average simulation model of multiple power electronic converters in a grid-connected DC Microgrid network for rural electrification. A RT MATLAB/Simulink simulation is constructed and executed using the OPAL-RT 5600 platform.