A Flexible Harmonic Control Approach Through Voltage-Controlled DG-Grid Interfacing Converters

The increased penetration of nonlinear loads and power-electronics-based distributed generation (DG) systems may introduce power quality issues to the distribution power system. However, if controlled and regulated properly, the DG-grid interfacing converters are able to improve the distribution system efficiency and power quality. This paper focuses on the distribution system harmonic control through the DG-grid interfacing converters. Two alternative DG systems, namely, current-controlled DG and voltage-controlled DG, are considered. While most of the previous works on harmonic compensation are based on the current-controlled method, a novel harmonic control scheme using a voltage-controlled method is developed in this paper. The voltage-controlled method is more flexible and has similar compensation performance compared to the conventional current-controlled method. In addition, by avoiding the implementation of a harmonic current tracking loop, the proposed voltage-based method can be seamlessly incorporated into a voltage-controlled DG unit, which is important to provide direct voltage and frequency support in a microgrid. Moreover, the possible harmonic circulating current among multiple DG systems is also investigated in this paper. Simulations and experimental results from a three-phase 5-kVA laboratory DG prototype are provided to validate the discussion.