Scalable Multiport Converter Structure for Easy Grid Integration of Alternate Energy Sources for Generation of Isolated Voltage Sources for MMC

Abstract

This paper presents a novel, scalable, and modular multiport power electronic topology for the integration of multiple resources. This converter is not only scalable in terms of the integration of multiple renewable energy resources (RES) and storage devices (SDs) but is also scalable in terms of output ports. Multiple dc outputs of a converter are designed to serve as input to the stacking modules (SMs) of the modular multilevel converter (MMC). The proposed multiport converter is bidirectional in nature and superior in terms of functionality in a way that a modular universal converter is responsible for the integration of multiple RES/SDs and regulates multiple dc output ports for SMs of MMC. All input ports can be easily integrated (and controlled), and output ports also can be controlled independently in response to any load variations. An isolated active half-bridge converter with multiple secondaries acts as a central hub for power processing with multiple renewable energy resources that are integrated at the primary side. To verify the proposed converter, a detailed design of the converter-based system is presented along with the proposed control algorithm for managing power on the individual component level. Additionally, different modes of power management (emulating the availability/variability of renewable energy sources (RES)) are exhibited and analyzed here. Finally, detailed simulation results are presented in detail for the validation of the proposed concepts and design process.