A Voltage and Frequency Droop Control Method for Parallel Inverters

Abstract

In this paper, a new control method for the parallel operation of inverters operating in an island grid or connected to an infinite bus is described. Frequency and voltage control, including mitigation of voltage harmonics, are achieved without the need for any common control circuitry or communication between inverters. Each inverter supplies a current that is the result of the voltage difference between a reference ac voltage source and the grid voltage across a virtual complex impedance. The reference ac voltage source is synchronized with the grid, with a phase shift, depending on the difference between rated and actual grid frequency. A detailed analysis shows that this approach has a superior behavior compared to existing methods, regarding the mitigation of voltage harmonics, short-circuit behavior and the effectiveness of the frequency and voltage control, as it takes the R to X line impedance ratio into account. Experiments show the behavior of the method for an inverter feeding a highly nonlinear load and during the connection of two parallel inverters in operation.