Synchronization of Inverters in Grid Forming Mode

This article compares two strategies for seamless (re)connection of grid-forming inverters to a microgrid powered by droop-controlled inverters. While an incoming inverter must be synced to the microgrid, seamless syncing and power-sharing are technical challenges for grid-forming inverters. In the first strategy, called the output-sync method, an incoming inverter is synced to the microgrid, and then the circuit breaker is closed for power-sharing. In the second strategy, called the controller-sync method, the inverter initially contributes at zero power following the microgrid frequency, and then the controller is transferred to the mode of power-sharing. Remarkably, the circuit breaker can be kept closed during the syncing process using the controller-sync method as the inverter starts from zero power contribution. In this novel strategy, two controller sets run in parallel, i.e., two parallel control paths are in place for obtaining the magnitude and the phase angle of the PWM reference signal. These parallel paths are synced for seamless transitions when only one of them is engaged to generate the PWM reference signal. The efficacy of these control strategies has been tested in a hardware setup of a microgrid fed by two 5kVA 208V droop-controlled inverters, and the results are presented in this article. This article is also accompanied by a video clip demonstrating the performance of the output-sync and controller-sync methods in the laboratory.