Virtual Inertia Control of Stand-Alone Solar PV Systems for Frequency Regulation

Abstract

Renewable energy sources can function independently in situations when grid connectivity is not feasible. Power electronics advancements have propelled solar energy to the forefront as the primary renewable energy source, offering more versatility. The power electronics converters are utilized to produce the necessary power and supply it to the load through different controllers. Virtual inertia is achieved by integrating the characteristics of traditional generators, such as inertia, into the system to ensure stability.  This paper describes the development and application of a new virtual synchronous generator (VSG) controller to regulate the inverter output. This study utilizes maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and voltage source grid (VSG) element to optimize the output of the inverter and achieve the maximum power of the photovoltaic (PV) system.  The simulation is used to examine the frequency of the system by increasing the step load and studying the impact of virtual inertia. The simulation findings demonstrate that increasing virtual inertia leads to a decrease in the rate of frequency change. The system is emulated in MATLAB for verification.