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Novel Applications of Power Converters for Energy Storage and Grid Integration: Second Edition

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "F3: Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2854

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: design and control of power converters for photovoltaics and distributed power generation systems; integration of renewable energy resources in electrical systems; modulation of multilevel converters; design and control of high-efficiency DC–DC converters; design of digital circuits on FPGA
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: high-performance dynamic drives with PM motors; power electronic converters; fault tolerance in multilevel converters; power electronic transformers (PETs); energy storage for the integration of renewable energy sources and recharge stations for electric vehicles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: wireless power transfer; battery charging infrastructures; aging analysis of Li-ion batteries; charging standards and communication on electric vehicles; partial power-power electronic converters

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue follows the success of the previous edition, highlighting the importance of the topics covered and the research community's interest in them. Therefore, the purpose of this second edition remains the same as the first, namely, the crucial role of power converters in new energy grid access, power generation, and in the reliable and efficient interconnection and integration of different energy systems and technologies.

The development of novel applications for grid power converters is a rapidly evolving field of interest not only for scientific researchers, but also for industrial technicians.

In this scenario, power converters represent an enabling technology for the widespread use of energy storage systems for stationary and mobile applications, renewable energy production, distributed generation, flexible AC/DC transmission, and electric drives for transportation.

Currently, grid-connected converters are required to perform specific grid-supporting functionalities, such as those provided by grid-forming control strategies to counteract the low inertia of new power systems. In fact, unlike conventional grid-following converters that rely on the stability of the existing grid, grid-forming converters can actively contribute to grid stability.

The increasing spread of such converters will lead to a growing use of energy storage, thus enhancing electrical system flexibility and providing additional features such as supply–demand balancing, power smoothing, load leveling, and power quality.

It is therefore evident that power converters will have a key role related to these new required functionalities, which will enable the ever-increasing integration of various technological solutions in future energy systems.

This second edition aims to address the upcoming challenges and opportunities tied to the novel applications of power converters in modern power systems, searching for possible solutions to the growing penetration of renewables in the electrical grid and energy storage, as well as the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

The topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The modeling, design, control, stability analysis, and reliability of power electronic converters;
  • Energy storage systems (batteries, fuel cells, supercap, etc.);
  • Novel power converter topologies for grid integration with renewables and storage systems;
  • The control and modulation of conventional and multilevel power converter topologies for renewable energy production and flexible transmission systems;
  • Advanced control techniques and grid-supporting functionalities of power converters;
  • The control and stability of power-converter-dominated microgrids;
  • The grid integration of electric vehicles.

Dr. Marino Coppola
Prof. Dr. Adolfo Dannier
Dr. Pasquale Franzese
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Energies 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 2600 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.

Keywords

  • power converters
  • energy storage systems
  • control techniques
  • electric vehicles
  • renewables
  • grid integration

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 2142 KB  
Article
Design Considerations of Bidirectional Half-Bridge Push–Pull Partial Power Processing Converters for Battery Energy Storage Systems
by Seok-Jin Jeong, Nguyen-Anh Nguyen, Ngoc-Thao Pham, Jin-Su Park and Sung-Jin Choi
Energies 2026, 19(2), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19020432 - 15 Jan 2026
Viewed by 925
Abstract
Energy management systems incorporating battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are an effective way to deal with peak power demand in power systems, contributing to sustainability and energy management. In these systems, BESS interface converters encounter many challenges, such as achieving high efficiency, reliability, [...] Read more.
Energy management systems incorporating battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are an effective way to deal with peak power demand in power systems, contributing to sustainability and energy management. In these systems, BESS interface converters encounter many challenges, such as achieving high efficiency, reliability, and scalability. A partial power processing (PPP) converter is one of the promising methods for reducing system energy losses and increasing reliability, thereby optimizing energy conversion between the BESS and the dc bus. However, implementing PPP in a BESS requires a high input-to-output voltage ratio and bidirectional operation over the battery voltage variation, which increases the design complexity. This paper proposes a half-bridge push–pull converter and provides guidance on its design for that purpose. A design procedure considering system efficiency and operating principles is comprehensively investigated and is applied to a PPP converter operating with a 15 kW BESS. The simulation and experimental results show that the efficiency of the system reaches up to 99% with a converter efficiency of 88%, which shows that the proposed structure achieves bidirectional operation and high efficiency based on the partial power processing concept. Full article
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26 pages, 12316 KB  
Article
Smooth Droop Control Strategy for Multi-Functional Inverters in Microgrids Considering Unplanned Off-Grid Transition and Dynamic Unbalanced Loads
by Jinhao Shen, Hua Zhang, Xueneng Su, Yiwen Gao, Kun Zheng, Cheng Long and Xinbo Liu
Energies 2025, 18(23), 6161; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18236161 - 24 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 651
Abstract
If unplanned off-grid events occur in microgrids, stable operation is disrupted. In particular, dynamic unbalanced loads, power pulse, and voltage changes also lead to system instability. To overcome these issues, this paper develops a smooth droop control strategy for multi-functional inverters. By introducing [...] Read more.
If unplanned off-grid events occur in microgrids, stable operation is disrupted. In particular, dynamic unbalanced loads, power pulse, and voltage changes also lead to system instability. To overcome these issues, this paper develops a smooth droop control strategy for multi-functional inverters. By introducing a QPR (quasi-proportional resonant) controller, the load voltage regulator is designed to compensate for the harmonic and unbalanced voltages of microgrids. Compared with traditional strategies, the proposed multi-functional inverter can reduce voltage pulses by more than 60%, and the off-grid voltage THD (total harmonic distortion) is decreased from 7% to less than 3%. At the same time, dynamic unbalanced loads and non-linear dynamic loads are both considered, and the derived strategy achieves smoother grid-connected and off-grid switching. In grid-connected mode (the microgrid connects to the distribution network at the PCC), the peak voltages and overshoots across transitions are definitely decreased, and continuous monitoring shows that the grid’s current THD stays steadily below 3%. This meets compatibility requirements, avoids harmonic interference on distribution networks, and follows the core principle of IEC TS 62898-1:2023. The simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed multi-function inverter control strategy for grid-connected inverters. Full article
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16 pages, 4044 KB  
Article
Advanced Modulation Strategy for MMCs in Grid-Tied PV Systems: Module-Level Maximum Power Extraction Under Varying Irradiance Conditions
by Adolfo Dannier, Gianluca Brando, Diego Iannuzzi, Santolo Meo and Ivan Spina
Energies 2025, 18(22), 6039; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18226039 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 668
Abstract
The integration of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems requires advanced converter architectures capable of ensuring both high efficiency and fast dynamic response. Leveraging the inherent modularity and low harmonic distortion of Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs), this paper presents a novel control and modulation framework [...] Read more.
The integration of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems requires advanced converter architectures capable of ensuring both high efficiency and fast dynamic response. Leveraging the inherent modularity and low harmonic distortion of Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs), this paper presents a novel control and modulation framework for grid-connected PV applications. The key innovation lies in the implementation of distributed, string-level Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), enabling optimal energy extraction even under non-uniform (shaded) irradiance conditions. The proposed method operates within a dual time-scale control architecture: an outer Perturb and Observe (P&O) loop assigns independent power references, while the inner modulation stage employs an innovative switching strategy that activates only one module per sampling period. Unlike conventional MPPT-based schemes, where submodules are driven by voltage references, the proposed approach directly regulates the power of each MMC submodule, eliminating the need for PV-side current measurement. Full article
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