Review of Control Techniques in Microinverters

Abstract

The use of renewable energies sources is taking great importance due to the high demand for electricity and the decrease in the use of fossil fuels worldwide. In this context, electricity generation through photovoltaic panels is gaining a lot of interest due to the reduction in installation costs and the rapid advance of the development of new technologies. To minimize or reduce the negative impact of partial shading or mismatches of photovoltaic panels, many researchers have proposed four configurations that depend on the power ranges and the application. The microinverter is a promising solution in photovoltaic systems, due to its high efficiency of Maximum Power Point Tracking and high flexibility. However, there are several challenges to improve microinverter’s reliability and conversion efficiency that depend on the proper control design and the power converter design. This paper presents a review of different control strategies in microinverters for different applications. The control strategies are described and compared based on stability, dynamic response, topologies, and control objectives. One of the most important results showed that there is little research regarding the stability and robustness analysis of the reviewed control strategies.

Measurements, Predictions, and Control in Microgrids and Power Electronic Systems

“…Finally, this Special Issue includes a review of micro-inverters. In [14], the increasing importance of renewable energy sources and PV modules for electricity generation is discussed. It highlights the use of micro-inverters as a promising solution due to their high efficiency and flexibility.…”

“…However, it is noted that there has been little research on stability and robustness analysis of these strategies. Contribution [14] also shows that advancements in semiconductor technology and cost reduction have led to increased studies on micro-inverters. The article emphasizes that the design of the control strategy, as well as the selection and design of electronic components, is essential to improve the reliability and functionality of micro-inverters.…”

Distributed Control Algorithm for DC Microgrid Using Higher-Order Multi-Agent System

“…Traditionally, controllable power generations have been adjusted to track uncontrollable loads in power networks. In modern power networks, renewable energy sources are increasing exponentially and, therefore, the demand for new control strategies and management mechanisms is also increasing [3,4]. To establish advanced control strategies and management mechanisms, new smart sensors and communication networks are introduced in the modern power system.…”

A comparative analysis of power pulsating buffer architectures for mitigating high‐frequency and low‐frequency ripple in PV microinverter applications

“…The increased integration of renewable energy sources into the power grid in recent years has intensified the focus on the power electronics solutions that address grid connection challenges [1,2]. To address the increasing solar integration to the grid, microinverters are increasingly becoming more popular sources of energy conversion as they offer high conversion efficiency, greater flexibility, and low installation cost [3,4]. With the growing adoption of grid-tied solar energy systems at the household level, there is a rising interest in using DC-DC high-frequency link (HFL) microinverter instead of traditional sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (SPWM) based inverter topologies [5].…”