The Role of Model Predictive Control in Microgrid Power Quality - A Survey

Modern microgrids (MGs) are designed with a high penetration of renewable energy sources that are interfaced with power converters. This feature, as well as the large number of nonlinear loads, deteriorates the power quality of the system. Therefore, effective control methods to ameliorate this challenge are essential. Existing linear control techniques for power quality in MGs are faced with a consistent challenge of control of power quality at the expense of accurate sharing of load current harmonics. Model predictive control (MPC) offers advantages of multi-variable control with fast and robust dynamic response. This paper is a survey of the MPC-based control techniques for voltage unbalances and current harmonics in MGs. The study shows that MPC can simultaneously satisfy multiple stringent requirements for voltage balance and harmonics; it is also more intuitive to implement than classical control techniques.