Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.3
2.6
Journals
Electronics
Special Issues
New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids
share announcement

New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 11912

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ilan Aharon

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, Ariel University, Kiryat Hamada, Ariel 40700, Israel
Interests: power electronics; power converters; GaN-based converters; energy sources; energy storge systems, micro-grids; electric vehicles; hybridization; sizing; analysis; modeling; control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microgrids are becoming more critical as electrical power systems due to the decentralization of energy production, the rapid growth of direct-current (DC) coupled sources and loads, and electric vehicles. Microgrids can be defined as any small-scale power generation technology close to a consumer, either for reducing reliance on the power grid or feeding the power directly into the local grid. New approaches for conversion, operating, and planning distributed power generation within this new paradigm are yet to be explored. The main issues related to microgrids are the low inertia, lower stability, and the bidirectional power flow, which entails variation in the voltage amplitude and frequency for AC or DC lines. Thus, the control of power converters, rectifiers, and inverters may deal with these disturbances, help to increase the electric system’s stability, and transfer the energy from renewable sources into the network. In addition, power converters and their respective control improve the microgrid system’s power quality, reliability, and resilience. This Special Issue focuses on topics related to new trends in power electronics for microgrids, smart grids, hybrid power systems with high renewable energy penetration, wind and solar power plant modeling and control, practical experience within high-renewable-energy-penetration systems, energy storage systems, market design, and operation, power electronic topologies (i.e., DC/AC inverters, AC/DC rectifiers, DC/DC converters, etc.), control systems and monitoring algorithms. Prospective authors are invited to submit original contributions or survey papers for publication in Electronics. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following topics in the field of new trends in power electronics for microgrids:

  • Power electronic systems—converters and emerging technologies;
  • Architecture and hardware design;
  • New power electronics topologies;
  • Performance analysis and optimization;
  • Advanced power electronics;
  • Design for reliability, resilience, and robustness;
  • Storage technology;
  • DC-powered PHEV/EV charging;
  • Real-time monitoring and control;
  • Distributed energy generation and integration;
  • Artificial intelligence techniques in power electronics systems;
  • Integration of renewable energy resources;
  • Innovative hybrid energy storage devices;
  • Energy management systems;
  • Control and power-sharing between converters.

Dr. Ilan Aharon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (8 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 10880 KiB  
Article
Gate Driver for High-Frequency Power Converter
by Liron Cohen, Joseph B. Bernstein and Ilan Aharon
Electronics 2025, 14(2), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14020224 - 7 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1120
Abstract
This work explores the principle of utilizing gallium nitride devices as a gate driver for silicon carbide power devices. As silicon has long reached its performance limits, Wide Bandgap semiconductors such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide have emerged as promising alternatives due [...] Read more.
This work explores the principle of utilizing gallium nitride devices as a gate driver for silicon carbide power devices. As silicon has long reached its performance limits, Wide Bandgap semiconductors such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide have emerged as promising alternatives due to their superior characteristics. However, few publications suggest using a gallium nitride-based gate driver for silicon carbide, high-voltage power devices. Unlike standard voltage source gate drivers, this paper proposes a novel bi-polar current source resonant gate driver topology using gallium nitride transistors as a gate drive circuit for silicon carbide power switching. The driver receives a single input supply and pulsed width modulation signal, producing a high current bi-polar gate driving signal. The gate driver is validated by employing the proposed gate driver to a high-power silicon carbide transistor in a resonant boost converter. The experimental results show that the new gate driver recovers the gate charge wasted energy and provides high performances in varying high voltage loads at a 2.5 MHz switching frequency while reducing the gate losses by 26%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 5335 KiB  
Article
Complexity Reduction for Converter-Driven Stability Analysis in Transmission Systems
by Viswaja Yellisetti and Albert Moser
Electronics 2025, 14(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14010055 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 634
Abstract
The high penetration of power electronic converters with complex control systems is changing the power system dynamics, introducing new challenges such as converter-driven stability incidents. Traditional stability analysis methods, suitable for classical problems like voltage, frequency, and rotor angle stability in large systems, [...] Read more.
The high penetration of power electronic converters with complex control systems is changing the power system dynamics, introducing new challenges such as converter-driven stability incidents. Traditional stability analysis methods, suitable for classical problems like voltage, frequency, and rotor angle stability in large systems, are insufficient for addressing the fast control dynamics of converters, which involve electromagnetic phenomena. These phenomena require detailed converter and network modeling, which can be performed in both the frequency and time domains, enabling the respective stability analyses to be carried out. However, frequency domain methods, based on small-signal impedances linearized at a single operating point, inherently ignore time domain phenomena like switching events and nonlinear behaviors. In contrast, time domain electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations are effective for analyzing converter-driven stability but are computationally intensive when applied to large transmission systems with numerous use cases. Therefore, to reduce the simulation complexity in EMT tools, a complexity reduction procedure is proposed in this paper. Leveraging the advantages of the frequency domain, such as faster simulation times and information on wideband frequency characteristics of the system, this procedure utilizes the small-signal impedances and introduces a method for network reduction. The procedure also uses the frequency domain stability analysis method to screen for critical network use cases. Primarily, this procedure is a frequency domain toolchain encompassing frequency domain stability analysis and frequency domain network reduction. The result of the toolchain is a reduced network size and reduced network use cases that can be used for EMT simulations. The procedure is applied to an IEEE 39 bus system, where converter-driven stability is evaluated for two use cases. Furthermore, the network reduction method is tested on a critical use case, demonstrating reductions in network size and computation times without compromising the quality of stability analysis results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3721 KiB  
Article
Simple and Effective Control System for Active AC Ripple Filtering Circuits
by Roshan Sharma, Masoud Karimi-Ghartemani and Umar Iqbal
Electronics 2024, 13(23), 4614; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13234614 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 940
Abstract
In systems where dc and ac subsystems are interacting, dc capacitors are used to balance (filter or decouple) the ac power pulsations. The required capacitance often poses a limitation in terms of physical footprint, cost, and/or reliability. Active ripple filtering circuits are widely [...] Read more.
In systems where dc and ac subsystems are interacting, dc capacitors are used to balance (filter or decouple) the ac power pulsations. The required capacitance often poses a limitation in terms of physical footprint, cost, and/or reliability. Active ripple filtering circuits are widely studied in the literature for reducing the size of the capacitor needed by using power electronic switches, passive circuit components, and a control system. The passive circuit components include a substantially smaller dc capacitor at a reasonably higher or lower voltage, and an inductor for filtering the switching ripples. The control systems presented in the literature for such systems are complex and need multiple sensors and are hardly plug-and-play and universal. This paper proposes a simple yet effective control system which uses only one voltage sensor. The circuit accurately emulates a large capacitor within a wide frequency bandwidth in a plug-and-play manner. The paper explains the details of the proposed control system and presents simulation and experimental results to illustrate its properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 9847 KiB  
Article
Implementation of Series Resonance-Based Fault Current Limiter for Enhanced Transient Stability of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Farm
by Slava Demin, Eli Barbie, Leena Heistrene, Juri Belikov, Eduard Petlenkov, Yoash Levron and Dmitry Baimel
Electronics 2024, 13(15), 2987; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13152987 - 29 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
This paper presents the implementation of an improved resonance-type FCL, designed to enhance the transient stability of a photovoltaic farm. This FCL overcomes the well-known drawbacks associated with the conventional resonance-based FCLs. This FCL limits the fault during the fault period, quickly achieves [...] Read more.
This paper presents the implementation of an improved resonance-type FCL, designed to enhance the transient stability of a photovoltaic farm. This FCL overcomes the well-known drawbacks associated with the conventional resonance-based FCLs. This FCL limits the fault during the fault period, quickly achieves stability during the recovery period, independent of the reactor’s charging state, and notably reduces DC-link voltage fluctuations during faults. A power system simulation setup comprising a PV farm, synchronous generator, transformers, circuit breakers, transmission system, and several branches of loads is used for testing the proposed FCL. The simulation results validate that the proposed FCL better improves the system’s stability and leads to improved fault current, PCC voltage, active power, reactive power, and DC-link voltage compared to other common types of resonant FCLs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 24737 KiB  
Article
Large Signal Stability Analysis of Hybrid AC/DC Microgrids When a Single-Phase-to-Ground Fault Occurs
by Xinbo Liu, Yake Zhang, Xiaotong Song and Yuntao Ju
Electronics 2024, 13(7), 1232; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13071232 - 26 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1151
Abstract
Islanded hybrid AC/DC microgrids lack support for a large grid, and the negative incremental impedance of constant power loads (CPLs) aggravates the poor anti-disturbance capability of the system. When a single-phase ground fault (SPGF) occurs, the amount of fault impulse power that islanded [...] Read more.
Islanded hybrid AC/DC microgrids lack support for a large grid, and the negative incremental impedance of constant power loads (CPLs) aggravates the poor anti-disturbance capability of the system. When a single-phase ground fault (SPGF) occurs, the amount of fault impulse power that islanded AC/DC hybrid microgrids can stably withstand and when the protection equipment can work are both unknown. In this paper, the method of symmetrical components is utilized, and high-signal stability criteria for islanded hybrid AC/DC microgrids when a SPGF occurs are derived based on the mixed potential theory. The proposed criteria place quantitative constraints on the power of the PV unit, DC/AC converter current inner-loop proportional parameters, inductors, and inductor equivalent resistance, as well as energy storage unit power, CPL power, capacitors, DC bus voltage, line equivalent resistance, line equivalent inductance, equivalent inductance in the faulty branch, equivalent resistance in the faulty branch, positive-sequence equivalent impulse power of the SPGF, and zero-sequence equivalent impulse power. Furthermore, the maximum impulse power of a SPGF that islanded hybrid AC/DC microgrids could stably withstand is also presented, providing guidelines for protection equipment to decide when to work. In addition, the allowable maximum CPL power that islanded hybrid AC/DC microgrids could steadily support as a SPGF occurs is deduced, and the power is usually adopted to determine the states of an energy storage unit and load shedding in advance. Simulation and experimental validations prove the correctness of the derived high-signal stability criteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2625 KiB  
Article
A Novel Single-Phase Five-Level Current-Source Inverter Topology
by Mayas Fakher Aldin and Kfir Jack Dagan
Electronics 2024, 13(7), 1213; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13071213 - 26 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2243
Abstract
Recent technological advances have renewed the research interest in current-source inverters (CSIs). Nonetheless, CSI research still falls behind its voltage-source counterpart with regards to topologies, modulation, and control. Acknowledging the above, this paper presents a novel single-phase five-level CSI topology. The proposed circuit [...] Read more.
Recent technological advances have renewed the research interest in current-source inverters (CSIs). Nonetheless, CSI research still falls behind its voltage-source counterpart with regards to topologies, modulation, and control. Acknowledging the above, this paper presents a novel single-phase five-level CSI topology. The proposed circuit utilises eight switches and two inductors for the generation of five distinct output levels while maintaining low output voltage THD and dv/dt. Furthermore, by offsetting the inductor currents from a binary 1:2 to a trinary 1:3 ratio, the proposed inverter can generate seven current levels at its output. The inverter offers built-in short-circuit protection and can boost a low input DC voltage to a higher peak AC output voltage. These merits, alongside an electrolytic-capacitor-free design, simple current balancing mechanism, and fault-tolerant characteristics, make it a promising candidate for PV module-integrated inverter (MII) systems. The current topology utilises two inductors but is fully functional with single-inductor operation. The paper provides a functional analysis of the inverter topology alongside the inverter switching states and corresponding conduction paths. A detailed analysis of the inductor current dynamics as well as a current-balancing algorithm for dual- and single-inductor operations are given. The theoretical analysis of the proposed circuit and its functional operation are verified using simulations and experimental results carried out on a laboratory prototype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

7 pages, 1905 KiB  
Communication
Brief Comparison of High-Side Gate Drivers for Series Capacitor Buck Converters
by Alexander Abramovitz, Ran Tali, Tal Tayar and Doron Shmilovitz
Electronics 2023, 12(17), 3701; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12173701 - 1 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1631
Abstract
This short article is concerned with the floating high-side gate driver suitable for driving the high side MOSFET/IGBT switch in the series capacitor buck converter family or converters with similar topological features. Biasing the high-side driver in series capacitor buck converters presents an [...] Read more.
This short article is concerned with the floating high-side gate driver suitable for driving the high side MOSFET/IGBT switch in the series capacitor buck converter family or converters with similar topological features. Biasing the high-side driver in series capacitor buck converters presents an engineering challenge. To alleviate the problem, a modified high-side driver with a voltage lift circuit for driving a high-side switch is proposed. The suggested solution, while being simple and low cost, has several benefits over the earlier propositions. The primary advantage of the proposed circuit is that it relies on a regulated supply to recharge its boot capacitor so to properly bias the high-side driver. Moreover, the proposed driver can operate in a wide range of input voltages while self-adjusting the correct voltage lift according to the operating point of a particular phase of the series buck converter. Thus, any number of phases can be implemented, avoiding cross-coupling effects and providing the high-switch with gating pulses of same amplitude. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 12652 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Power Factor Correction and Torque Ripple Mitigation for DC–DC Converter Based BLDC Drive
by Geethu Krishnan, Moshe Sitbon and Shijoh Vellayikot
Electronics 2023, 12(16), 3533; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12163533 - 21 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2084
Abstract
A novel approach to the design of power factor correction (PFC) and torque ripple minimization in a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor drive with a new pulse width modulation (PWM) technique is demonstrated. The drive was designed to have a better power factor [...] Read more.
A novel approach to the design of power factor correction (PFC) and torque ripple minimization in a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor drive with a new pulse width modulation (PWM) technique is demonstrated. The drive was designed to have a better power factor (PF) and less torque ripple. On the other hand, the modified Zeta converter is used to enhance the power factor of the proposed system. The modified Zeta converter is operated in discontinuous inductor current mode (DICM) by using a voltage follower technique, which only needs a voltage sensor for power factor correction (PFC) operation and DC-link voltage control. The output voltage of the VSI is determined by switching patterns generated by the PWM-ON-PWM switching strategy, and it reduces the torque ripples. The proposed drive is developed and simulated in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. The power factor of 0.9999 is produced by the PFC modified zeta converter topology and the PWM-ON-PWM scheme reduce the torque ripple in the commutation region by 34.2% as compared with the PWM-ON scheme. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the suggested control method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Power Electronics for Microgrids)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-8
Back to TopTop