Grid forming inverters, ancillary services and rapid inverter control prototyping (Expert Web Session)

The shutdown of conventional power plants and the government’s decision to accelerate the energy transition pose major challenges for grid operators. The provision of reactive power for voltage stability and the required instantaneous reserve for frequency stabilisation will increasingly have to be taken over by new grid components in the future. Therefore, transmission system operators demand grid-forming properties of systems for these purposes. There is discussion about projecting these properties to lower voltage levels to gain more grid stability. New products are being developed to meet these challenges.

Fraunhofer IEE has been researching grid-forming controls and power converters for more than 25 years, which have so far mostly been used in island grids and microgrids. In the future, it is likely that these controls will also be used in PV-storage-systems, battery converters and bidirectional chargers for electric vehicles in the public grid. Furthermore, suitable grid-forming controls could also help to supply grid sections without interruption in the event of a fault.

In order to effectively realise this type of control for different applications and to place products early in the market, we are developing a rapid inverter control solution with power hardware in the loop capacities. Our expertise in grid-forming control and battery storage is incorporated via libraries for model-based development. We are happy to discuss with you your requirements for such systems and your needs.

Organizer: Fraunhofer-Institut für Energiewirtschaft und Energiesystemtechnik IEE