Exploring model-based design of inverter controllers
November 29, 2024
ACEP intern Dominique Hinds gives a presentation on his project on converter-dominated power systems.
ACEP summer intern Dominique Hinds worked under the mentorship of Mariko Shirazi on a converter-dominated power systems project that aims to help rural communities in Alaska.
Most rural communities in Alaska depend on diesel generators to fulfill their energy needs and spend much of their income doing so. Reducing the demand for diesel and increasing the supply and efficiency of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar could mitigate the high energy cost in rural Alaska.
Wind turbines, solar cells and battery storage are commonly referred to as inverter-based resources because they need an inverter to convert the source of electricity into a form that is appropriate for the grid.
To this end, an inverter needs a controller that will help it regulate voltage, current and power.
The development of these controllers is accelerated by using a model-based design approach — the process of modeling a system in a simulation environment for rapid development, testing and verification of the system’s controller.
Using a model-based design approach, Hinds worked on designing an inverter controller in a simulation environment called Simulink.
In the first step of the model-based design approach, Hinds developed and verified the functionality of a stand-alone, inverter-based power system along with its controller. For the second step, Hinds used Simulink to generate code for the controller in order to determine if it could run this code without glitches.
Hinds developed a microcontroller unit that is responsible for controlling the inverter.
The next step is to connect the controller to real-time simulation software containing the power system model and verify the stability of the controller. Hinds plans to continue his work in the near future.
Hinds’s work has several implications for converter-dominated power systems and rural communities in Alaska regarding energy costs.
His work may also aid in identifying the type and detail of converter models that are required to accurately represent power system dynamics and converter-dominated power systems, ranging from remote isolated microgrids to large, interconnected grids.
“This internship was a pleasant experience for me,” Hinds said. “I was able to apply my knowledge in the fields that I’m interested in to real-world problems.”
Born in Florida and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, Hinds is a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and is pursuing a master’s degree.
This internship is funded by the DOE EPSCoR through the ACEP Undergraduate Summer Internship program. View the final presentation for this project on ACEP’s YouTube Channel. For more information on this project, please contact Mariko Shirazi at mshirazi@alaska.edu.