Hardware-in-the-Loop Framework for Validation of Ancillary Service in Microgrids: Feasibility, Problems and Improvement

Testing complex micro-networks requires the availability of specialized laboratories and interconnected devices. This paper describes the development of a controller-hardware-in-the-loop simulation in the context of the microgrid. This approach provides genuine testing and debugging environment for converter controllers in microgrid under various test conditions by means of real-time simulation. It is also viable to test microgrid dispatching strategies. The platform structure and real-time simulation issues including modeling, circuit partition, and multi-rate design are studied, demonstrating the rationality, and transferability of the design scheme. In the interest of studying the integration of distributed energy resources, a novel low-level control method, which enables the power converters to function as both grid-supplying and grid-supporting, is tested. Some practical implementation issues of the theoretical control algorithm are exposed and alleviated, which shows the value of hardware-in-the-loop simulation, and at the same time contributes evidence to modifying theoretical algorithms in industrial applications.