DC Industrial Microgrid

Details

Supervisors

De Jaeger, Emmanuel

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil électromécanicien, à finalité spécialisée: énergie

Abstract

Nowadays, with the climate change concerns, the electrical power system’s evolution is required to meet the needs of all stakeholders and actors involved in the electricity grid. The "three D’s" represents the main challenges posed by this transition, which are: Decentralization, Decarbonation and Digitalization. To manage the penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) the formation of microgrids seems to be a promising solution. Microgrids (MGs) are defined as a set of interconnected loads and DERs in limited area (e.g. residential area, small island, industrial area or isolated rural area). According to the application, the microgrid is connected and disconnected from the grid according to the user’s decision, acting as a single entity from the grid perspective. This thesis will focus on the case of an industrial DC microgrid application. For economical actors, a microgrid offers the possibility to consume the electricity produced locally through photovoltaics (PVs) or even wind power units. Combined with Energy Storage System (ESS) it has the potential of optimizing the energy costs of the community through a smart control of the power exchanges with the main grid. DC microgrid is relevant as several DERs are producing DC power as PV modules or fuel cells and nowadays, the use of DC loads is increasing for industrial as well as residential applications (e.g. DC arc furnace, electric vehicles (EVs)). Energy storage systems such as batteries are also working in DC. Interconnecting them to a DC microgrid would then reduce the number of power electronics converter but also get rid of the need to control the frequency. To interface the different units and control the power exchanges between them, Three-Port Converter will be analysed and modelled for simulation purposes.