An AC/DC hybrid campus microgrid: Modelling, control and financial analysis

The high penetration of renewable fed decentralized generation has paved the way for realizing microgrids that can offer better resiliency and reliability than traditional distribution systems. This paper discusses the modeling and operation of a hybrid AC-DC microgrid for the Clemson University Campus. Various inverter-based Distributed Energy Resources(DERs) models are developed to accomplish the task and presented in the paper. The central controller for the hybrid microgrid is designed to correctly dispatch DERs and Battery Energy Storage Systems(BESS) in regulating voltage and frequency to nominal values as per IEEE 2030.7-2017 std. The campus microgrid is sized to work in grid-connected and islanded modes of operation with a load shedding scheme. The results for different dynamic events in both AC and DC microgrids depict a seamless operation between the two modes with the proper voltage and frequency regulation. Finally, a cost analysis is performed to look at the financial viability of implementation.