Mission Profile-Tailored Design and Control of an Interconnected Hybrid Grid Connecting Converter Architecture

The LVdc distribution technology is very attractive considering the propagation of photovoltaic power plants, battery energy storage systems, and charging stations for electric vehicles. Combining ac and dc grids via hybrid grid connecting converter architectures brings many advantages such as well-established protection schemes for ac grids and increased efficiency for distributed energy resources’ integration via dc grids. However, multiple conversion stages within these architectures can cause high losses and impair an efficient operation. An interconnected hybrid grid connecting converter architecture can offer new power paths between multiple insulated dc and ac grids and thereby enable an increased efficiency. In this article, a mission profile-tailored design procedure for an interconnected hybrid grid connecting converter architecture to achieve converter downsizing and improved failure tolerance is proposed. Furthermore, an improved control for hybrid grid connecting converter architectures, featuring noninterfering dc voltage control targets, is given and validated via implementation on a laboratory prototype.