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This paper presents a new and specific use of a bidirectional interleaved converter to perform a power interface in hybrid microgrids. The converter is responsible for regulating the power flow between the direct-current (DC) microgrid and the rest of the hybrid microgrid by controlling the DC microgrid voltage. The authors present a detailed modeling of the mentioned system in order to develop the system control design and a stability analysis. In addition, the authors propose a new control design strategy aiming at improving the voltage control disturbance rejection characteristic, while maintaining a good dynamic behavior regarding the reference tracking functionality. In this hybrid microgrid topology, a back-to-back converter connects the main grid to the AC microgrid. The main objective of this converter is to provide a high-power-quality voltage to critical and sensitive loads connected to the microgrid. The interleaved converter adjusts the DC microgrid voltage according to the operational voltage of the back-to-back converter DC link. In the DC microgrid case, the variation of load and generation connection could lead to serious voltage sag and oscillations that could be harmful to the sensitive loads. The voltage controller must be capable of rejecting these disturbances in order to maintain a high-power-quality voltage. Furthermore, experimental results are provided in order to validate this specific application of the interleaved converter and the presented control design strategy.

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This study presents a new microgrid topology that uses a bidirectional interleaved converter performing a power interface between DC buses in a hybrid microgrid allowing for both grid-connected and islanded modes. The authors propose a new control strategy and controllers' design method aiming at achieving a high-performance dynamic response regarding the converter load and generation disturbance rejection capability. In the grid-connected mode, the interleaved converter operates in the buck mode providing a high-power-quality DC microgrid voltage. In the islanded mode, the interleaved converter operates in the boost mode and it is responsible for regulating the DC link of the back-to-back converter that connects the main grid to the AC microgrid. A detailed mathematical model is presented to obtain a MIMO system that takes into account the system's disturbances to analyze both stability margins and disturbance-rejection response. Simulations of the proposed topology are carried out in PSCAD/EMTDC in a microgrid operating in grid-connected and islanded operation modes. Experimental results are provided in order to validate the proposed control tuning method.

This paper presents an analysis of a new application of different direct matrix converter topologies used as power interfaces in AC, DC, and hybrid microgrids, with model predictive current control. Such a combination of a converter and control strategy leads to a high power quality microgrid voltage, even with a low power quality main grid voltage and even during the connection and disconnection of a variety of loads and generation sources to the microgrids. These robust systems are suitable for applications in which sensitive loads are to be supplied and these loads are connected close to distributed-generation sources with inherent intermittent behavior. The authors also propose the use of new direct matrix converter configurations with a reduced number of switches in order to achieve reduced cost, reduced failure rate, and higher reliability, which are very desirable in microgrids. Finally, the authors also introduce new hybrid direct matrix converter topologies that provide interesting options for the islanded operation of the microgrids with the use of a battery system. In other words, the proposed hybrid direct matrix converters result in flexible hybrid microgrid configurations integrating DC and AC devices with high power quality and high power supply reliability.