Description

This project aims at developing controllers for microtgrids in order to guarantee low distribution losses, high reliability, energy eciency, robustness with respect to blackouts or parameter changes and scalability. The main objective is to propose new paradigms for the design of several layers of control laws for electronic power systems at the converters and the microgrid levels. First, an intensive attention will be paid to the inner control level for the regulation of the electronic power converters (DC-DC, DC-AC, AC-DC and AC-AC), where the use of the Hybrid Dynamical System theory will be crucial to formulate and exploit the switching control signals in view of reducing the dissipated energy and improving the system lifespam of the devices. Indeed, this recent theory is well suited for analysis of power electronic converters, since they combine continuous (voltage and currents) and discrete (on-off state of switches) signals avoiding, in this way, the use of averaged models. Likewise, an outer control level for controlling the microgrid will be developed to provide a distributed strategy that makes the microgrid scalable and robust with respect to blackouts of sources and/or loads, following the principle of the theory of Multi-Agent System. In this distributed strategy, they are several crucial and innovative aspects to be regarded such as the heterogeneity, the hybrid and nonlinear nature of these converters. The objectives are here to provide robust consensus algorithms in order to take into account the parameter variations. A particular attention on the development of control solutions for DC-bus as well as AC-bus, functioning in islanded mode or grid-connected mode will be paid. Finally, in light of the applicative and experimental nature of the project, a large part of the project will be dedicated to the validation of the proposed theoretical contributions and solutions on the experimental facilities provided by the ADREAM building available at the LAAS-CNRS and the microgrid under construction, MIREDHI-LAB in Colombia. The project will involve the recruitment of a PhD student and three MS students, to work closely with the four permanent members and one research engineer at LAAS. While the PhD student will l play a main role within project development, the MS students will mostly be involved in some of the application contexts of the project, where strong theoretical skills are not necessary. The project will also serve as an opportunity to strengthen existing collaborations with leading researchers in the eld and establish new collaborations, by way of organized visits, seminars and invited sessions in conferences. The results of the research activity will be published in leading journals and conferences in the eld of Automatic Control and of Power Electronics.