Converter-connected distributed generation units with integrated harmonic voltage damping and harmonic current compensation function

The steadily growing share of converter-connected distributed generators, combined with a large amount of nonlinear and unbalanced loads connected to the electric power system, has led to a degraded power quality. Both harmonic voltage and harmonic current distortion may cause many unfavourable effects on the power system. However, the converter-connected distributed generators can be redesigned to have a positive effect on the distortion of the grid voltage. Two different approaches can be discerned. At the one hand, distributed generation units can be controlled to synthesize a resistive load for harmonic voltage components. This approach is called harmonic voltage damping. At the other hand, if the polluting current of an adjacent nonlinear load is measured and added to the control loop, the converter-connected distributed generator is able to compensate all harmonic current components of the nonlinear load. This approach is referred to as harmonic current compensation. In this paper, a control strategy for a converter-connected distributed generator is extended with a harmonic voltage damping function and a harmonic current compensation function. Experimental tests show that the voltage distortion of the grid voltage can be significantly improved.