Grid-connected converters with virtual electromechanical characteristics: experimental verification

Grid-connected power converters, which are frequently used to link renewable generation plants with the grid, are required to provide a better functionality for large scale integration of renewables. They are expected to be grid-friendly, or even grid-supportive, instead of simply grid-feeding or grid-demanding. This paper designs a synchronous power controller for grid-connected converters in detail, emulating the electromechanical characteristics of synchronous machines and improving even its actual performance, as it is based on a virtual approach. Based on this design, the grid-interfacing units are capable of showing inertia, damping, and droop characteristics as synchronous machines and presenting thus a grid-supporting behavior. The detailed control design and experimental validation on a 10 kW laboratory setup acts as the main contribution of this paper, compared with the existing studies on generator emulation controls.