Control of Nanogrids with Distributed Storage Optimization and Frequency Support for Renewable Energy Community Applications

In the context of the transition towards a more sustainable energy system, the existing Renewable Energy Source (RES) generation systems are inadequate to replace conventional fossil-based generation systems on a large scale, without using proper RES-powered generator interfaces. Indeed, the RES-powered generators interfaces to the electricity grid through conventional Grid Following (GFL) Inverters. The conventional GFL inverters working delivering a power equal to the maximum power that can be extracted from the RES-powered generator, without providing support during frequency transients. In contrast, Grid Forming (GFM) inverters are receiving increasing attention to enhance grid stability by actively controlling voltage. In this paper the control system for a GFM inverter interfacing a nanogrid (nG) to the Electrical Power System is presented. This control is able to track the active power reference obtained from an optimization model, with the aim to manage resources within the nG and therefore maximize collective self-consumption within a Renewable Energy Community (REC). At the same time, GFM inverters with the proposed control are able to help the real time active power balancing on the Electrical Power System.