Network control systems & power electronics technologies applied to smart grids

Abstract

The central theme of this project is the use of network control systems (NCS) techniques applied to an up-to-date laboratory energy system. It has the underlying structure of communication channels and is suitably equipped for the modern functions of a smart grid. The objective is to promote techniques that incorporate the NCS problem regarding communication restrictions imposed by communication channels with bandwidth limitations, indefinite delays, and data losses due to integrity or annihilation. The project accounts for a comprehensive control problem that involves system stabilization, state estimation, and the control itself. The main aim is to reach an adequate level of reliability and performance on a power system with multiple distributed power electronics converters. The control structure may adopt a specific degree of distribution, ranging from centralized to a highly distributed architecture, imposing different commitments on the underlying resources. On the one hand, levels of decentralization impose different capacity requirements on the channels and, on the other hand, different demands on decision-making capacity and autonomy to distributed agents. This proposal aims to achieve a duly approach to existing techniques for application in the laboratory plant, which, when assimilated, will allow programs for the use together with unique techniques with potential application in larger smart grid systems. (AU)