Power Electronics Intelligence at the Network Edge (PINE)—An Approach to Interface PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems at the Grid Edge

In this article, a self-organizing power electronic converter with control intelligence at the edge of the distribution network is proposed. The proposed converter is called power electronics intelligence at the network edge (PINE), and it has the potential to add intelligence at the network edge to the electricity delivery system of the present and in the future. The proposed approach consists of a power electronic converter (rectifier/dc-link/inverter) termed PINE to supply residential loads. The rooftop solar and battery energy storage system is connected to the dc link. With the bidirectional characteristic of the PINE, the load voltage is regulated via feedback, whereas input distribution voltage can be allowed to vary in a range. This type of configuration allows for control of input power factor to be unity and reactive power to be injected at the grid edge to regulate the voltage and also enable energy budgeting, i.e., limit the amount of power to the residential load under disaster situations. With the PINE converter at the distribution edge that can communicate with other PINEs as well as to the distribution system operator, intelligence at the distribution edge can be established. Such a system has many advantages that are discussed in this article. Furthermore, the impacts of increased penetration levels of PINE are shown using a test feeder based on the IEEE-37 test node feeder. Simulation and experimental results on a laboratory prototype system validate the PINE converter concept.