A modular real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulation environment for microgrids

Abstract

In this work, a real-time load flow solver that solves for the complex bus voltages in a 4-bus electrical network (with 1 bus as the swing/reference bus) was designed and implemented. Simple Distributed Generator (DG) models were written in C++, with a 3-phase inverter always as the last sub-system of each DG model. The inverter was implemented as a real-/reactive-power controller. Two nodes in the network were made to have adjustable real and reactive power. Real and reactive powers in the network, line impedances, and node connectivity were used to solve for bus voltages in a Gauss-Seidel Load Flow Solver (implemented in an intel MAX® 10 FPGA). The implementation was carried out assuming balanced operation at all of the nodes and a balanced network.