The State of the Art of the Control Strategies for Single-Phase Electric Springs

• Main Authors: Qingsong Wang, Panhong Chen, Fujin Deng, Ming Cheng, Giuseppe Buja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-10-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: electric springs; renewable energy source; smart load; stability; control strategy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/11/2019

The concept of electric springs (ESs) has been proposed as a new solution for stabilizing power grid fed by intermittent renewable energy sources. With a battery or active power source (DC, on the inside), the ESs can provide both active and reactive power compensations. So far, three typical topologies of single-phase ESs have been reported. Unlike traditional devices where power generation follows the load demand, the ESs are associated with non-critical loads form the so-called smart loads that transfer the fluctuated power to the non-critical loads, adaptively, according to the intermittent nature of power generation. After reviewing the main control strategies of single-phase ESs, the paper analyzes their advantages and disadvantages as well as their suitable applications. Comparisons among different control strategies on a specific topology version are implemented. Finally, conclusions and possible future trends are pointed out.