GUI based Power Factor and Harmonics Computation for Microgrid Central Controller

A microgrid is a system that connects several dispersed energy resource units in a parallel form. Renewable energy resources (RER) are the main mover in the microgrid, posing significant operational and managerial problems. Harmonics are introduced into the microgrid system when renewable energy resources are integrated utilizing power electronic converters. The central controller for the microgrid is designed to control and automate operations in both grid-connected and islanding modes. This study focuses on the role of the microgrid central controller in monitoring and identifying power quality issues. The goal of this work is to create and provide a method for calculating THD and power factors for individual units. In addition, a pollutant identification method is developed to detect the system's higher harmonic pollutant units. The load/source that pollutes the system at any given time is tracked using a graphical user interface view. The integration of these mechanisms with the microgrid central controller enhances system performances without any hardware modifications.