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The rapid dynamic responses of predictive control algorithms are widely acknowledged. However, achieving accurate steady-state reference tracking hinges not just on a precise mathematical model of the system but also on its parameters. This document presents a predictive control scheme augmented with integral state feedback tailored to a photovoltaic (PV) application. In scenarios with uncertain system parameters, steady-state errors can particularly impact reactive power regulation, where the absence of an integral term in the loop exacerbates this issue. The robustness and sensitivity of both predictive control and the proposed enhanced predictive controller are thoroughly examined. Simulation and experimental results are included to validate the effectiveness of this approach.

The increasing participation of photovoltaic sources in power grids presents the challenge of enhancing power quality, which is affected by the intrinsic characteristics of these sources, such as variability and lack of inertia. This power quality degradation mainly generates variations in both voltage magnitude and frequency, which are more pronounced in microgrids. In fact, the magnitude problem is particularly present in the distribution systems, where photovoltaic sources are spread along the grid. Due to the power converter's lack of inertia, frequency problems can be seen throughout the network. Grid-forming control strategies in photovoltaic systems have been proposed to address these problems, although most proposed solutions involve either a direct voltage source or energy storage systems, thereby increasing costs. In this paper, a photovoltaic injection system is designed with a virtual synchronous machine control strategy to provide voltage and frequency support to the grid. The maximum power point tracking algorithm is adapted to provide the direct voltage reference and inject active power according to the droop frequency control. The control strategy is validated through simulations and key experimental setup tests. The results demonstrate that it is possible to inject photovoltaic power and provide voltage and frequency support.

Distorted voltage supplied as unbalanced and/or non-constant frequency can be found in weak grids, such as microgrids, or systems working in islanding mode. These kinds of systems are more sensitive under load changes. Particularly, an unbalanced voltage supply may be produced for large, single-phase loads. On the other hand, the connection/disconnection of high current loads may lead to important frequency variation, especially in weak grids where the short circuit current capacity is reduced. These conditions make the control of the power converter a more difficult task, because of the variations in the frequency and unbalancing. To address these issues, this paper proposes a resonant control algorithm to deal with variations in the voltage amplitude as well as grid frequency when a distorted power supply is considered. The frequency variation is an important drawback for resonant control because the resonance must be tuned at the grid frequency. This issue is overcome by using a variable sampling frequency in order to avoid re-tuning the controller parameters. On the other hand, under unbalanced conditions, the proposed method relaxes the phase with lower voltage amplitude by taking more power from the other phases in order to help the stability of the grid supply. To corroborate the mathematical analysis and the proposed control, a stability study is performed, including experimental and simulated results.

Distributed power generation, micro-grids, and networks working in islanding mode have strong deviations in voltage quantities. These deviations can be divided into amplitude and frequency. Amplitude deviations are well-known and studied, as they are common in small and big grids. However, deviations on the ac mains frequency have not been widely studied. The literature shows control schemes capable of bearing these variations, but no systematic analysis has been performed to ensure stability. As the majority of power converters are designed for big grids, their analysis and design neglect frequency disturbances, therefore those devices allow a very small frequency operating window. For instance, in power converters that need to be synchronized to the grid, the standard deviation does not go beyond 0.5 Hz, and for grid-tied inverters it does not go beyond 1 Hz, whereas variations of around 8 Hz can be expected in micro-grids. This work presents a comprehensive analysis of the control system's stability, where two different control schemes for a back-to-back static converter topology are implemented and studied under a wide variable grid frequency. Because the behavior of power converters is nonlinear and coupled, dynamic and static decouplers are usually introduced in the controller, being a key element on the scheme according to the findings. The results show that using just a static decoupler does not guarantee stability under frequency variations; meanwhile, when a dynamic decoupler is used, the operating window can be greatly extended. The procedure shown in this paper can also be extended to other control algorithms, making it possible to carefully choose the control system for a variable frequency condition. Simulated and experimental results confirm the theoretical approach.

The use of controlled power converters has been extended for high power applications, stacking off-the-shelve semiconductors, and allowing the implementation of, among others, AC drives for medium voltages of 2.3 kV to 13.8 kV. For AC drives based on power cells assembled with three-phase diode rectifiers and cascaded H-bridge inverters, a sophisticated input multipulse transformer is required to reduce the grid voltage, provide isolation among the power cells, and compensate for low-frequency current harmonics generated by the diode-based rectifiers. However, this input multipulse transformer is bulky, heavy, and expensive and must be designed according to the number of power cells, not allowing total modularity of the AC drives based on cascade H-bridges. This study proposes and evaluates a control strategy based on a finite control set-model predictive control that emulates the harmonic cancellation performed by an input multipulse transformer in a cascade H-bridge topology. Hence, the proposed method requires conventional input transformers and replaces the three-phase diode rectifiers. As a result, greater modularity than the conventional multicell converter and improved AC overall input current with a THD as low as 2% with a unitary displacement power factor are achieved. In this case, each power cell manages its own DC voltage using a nonlinear control strategy, ensuring stable system operation for passive and regenerative loads. The experimental tests demonstrated the correct performance of the proposed scheme.

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.