Research Seminar – Synchronverters: Inverters that Mimic Synchronous Generators – 14th June 2011

Professor Qing-Chang Zhong from the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University will give a research seminar in Jennison Seminar Room 1 at 2.30-3.30 pm on 14th June 2011.
In this seminar, the idea of operating inverters to mimic synchronous generators is presented. We call such inverters synchronverters. This technology allows energy to be freely transferred between both sides, i.e., the DC bus and the AC bus, of inverters according to the value of the grid frequency and it also provides voltage support to the grid. This will minimise the impact of the fast-growing number of grid-connected inverters on the grid, which is a potential threat to the overall stability of power systems. Synchronverters behave in the same way as conventional synchronous generators and thus are grid-friendly. The real and reactive power delivered by synchronverters connected in parallel can be automatically shared using the well-known frequency and voltage drooping mechanism. The operation mode of synchronverters can be easily switched between islanded and grid-connected and hence this provides an ideal solution for micro-grids or smart grids. The implementation and operation of synchronverters will be described in detail. Both simulation and experimental results will be demonstrated in the talk. Synchronverters have wide applications in distributed generation and renewable energy, uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), rotary frequency converters, induction heating, static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), HVDC transmission etc. At the end of the talk, an overview of some other research activities in this area will also be presented.
Please contact Professor Sarah Spurgeon (s.k.spurgeon@kent.ac.uk) for further details.