Collaborative Research: Highly Compact, Multi-port, GaN-Based Grid-Forming Inverter

与天气有关的灾害清醒地提醒人们，伴随着电能向可再生能源过渡的“成长的烦恼”。应对这些挑战将需要可再生资源的设计，以支持电网在需要时，而不是跳闸离线在这些时间。这将需要一种新的并网逆变器技术。该项目汇集了来自德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校和中央佛罗里达大学的联合团队，以开发高效率，高功率密度的电网形成解决方案，以实现更具弹性的电网。该团队之前已经开发并验证了几项关键创新，如基本的并网控制，多端口逆变器的控制和多电平三端口逆变器的控制。该项目支持美国向可再生能源的未来能源转型，并将通过提供集成，高效和可靠的太阳能+储能解决方案，提高太阳能在电网中的渗透率。这种光伏+储能微型逆变器系统将为电网提供可靠的可再生能源资产，从而减少国家对化石燃料的依赖，并创造一个更具弹性和稳定的电网。微型逆变器本身的存储集成可以产生新的商业模式，使所有者和公用事业公司在电网控制和能源灵活性方面具有新的自由度。该项目将导致在网格形成控制方法的技术进步，以及使用基于宽坏隙GaN功率器件的三端口多电平逆变器的进步。在频率响应方面，该项目将研究和验证一种新的自适应频率位置（AFP）概念，该概念将使电网形成控制超越传统的同步发电机惯性仿真。 创新的三端口多电平逆变器拓扑结构将被研究并用于实现具有PV和存储连接的高性能GaN微逆变器。拟议的合作项目将使团队能够共同努力，将GFM控制提升到基本功能之外，研究多个电网形成和电网跟踪逆变器共同工作时的稳定性，以及开发基于GaN的电网形成微型逆变器和测试平台。主要技术目标包括：1）优化并网电压控制环带宽和滤波器设计。2)三端口微型逆变器的高级功能，除了频率支持外，还具有黑启动、自动孤岛、MPPT、无功功率支持功能; 3）超越惯性仿真的先进控制4）设计先进的三端口微型逆变器，超越了微型逆变器技术的最新水平。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Weather-related disasters are sobering reminder of the "growing pains" that accompany the electric energy transition towards renewable generations. Addressing such challenges will require renewable resources to be designed to support the grid when needed instead of tripping offline during these times. This will require a new grid-forming inverter technology. This project brings together a joint team from the University of Texas Austin and the University of Central Florida, to develop a high efficiency, high power density grid-forming solutions to enable a more resilient grid. The team has previously developed and verified several key innovations such as the basic grid-forming control, control of multi-port inverter, and control of multilevel three port inverter. The project supports US’s energy transition to a renewable energy-based future, and it will enable higher penetration of solar energy into the grid by delivering an integrated, efficient, and reliable solar plus storage solutions. This PV plus storage microinverter systems will provide a reliable renewable energy asset for the grid, thereby lessening the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and creating a grid that is more resilient and stable. The integration of the storage in the microinverter itself could generate new business models, enabling the owner and utility new degrees of freedom in grid control and energy flexibility. This project will result in technological advancements in grid-forming control methodology as well as the advancement of using wide bad-gap GaN power devices based three port multilevel inverter. In terms of frequency response, the project will study and valid a novel Adaptive Frequency Position (AFP) concept which will move grid-forming control beyond the traditional synchronous generation inertia emulation. Innovative three port multilevel inverter topology will be studied and used to realize a high performance GaN microinverter with PV and storage connectivity. The proposed collaborative project will enable the team to work together to advance the GFM controls beyond the basic functionality, study the stability when multiple grid-forming and grid-following inverters work together, as well as to develop a GaN based grid-forming microinverter and testbed. The main technical objectives include: 1) Optimization of grid-forming voltage control loop bandwidth and filter design. 2) Advanced functionalities for three-port microinverter with black start, automatic islanding, MPPT, reactive power support functionalities in addition to the frequency support; 3) Advanced control beyond inertia emulation 4) Design of advanced three port microinverter beyond the state of the art in microinverter technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.