RESilient hybrid microgrids enabled by COordinated Power Electronic hubs for the GREEN Revolution (RESCOPE4GREEN)

RESCOPE4GREEN aims to contribute to the mission “Green Revolution and Ecological Transition” of the Italian “Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza” (PNRR) in line with the EU Energy Roadmap 2050. An essential step for the “energy transition” is the widespread deployment of renewable-based distributed energy resources (DERs). However, several aspects should be addressed for deeper penetration of DERs and the full exploitation of the available assets pursuing lower energy costs and higher resiliency. These include: • The potential need/availability of multiple energy sources and loads that should be interconnected effectively, exchanging large amounts of power and energy. Examples of such sources and loads are renewables like photovoltaic panels, local energy storage devices like batteries, smart bidirectional loads like electric vehicles, etc. • The need to coordinate the wide variety of DERs to provide services to the local grid and to the main utility grid, including improving the hosting capacity and the power quality, and supporting seamless transitions to autonomous operation in case of unavailability of the utility grid. Power electronic converters allow the interconnection of electrical sub-systems with different characteristics and are crucial in the ongoing energy transition. Integrated power converters solutions that can physically interconnect multiple energy sources at multiple ports allow energy management flexibility and efficiency, thus facilitating renewables integration, storage functionality, and electric mobility. In addition, by their capability of regulating voltages, currents, and power flows, they can provide local support to the grid and respond to coordination schemes improving the global performance of the AC main grid. Algorithms can be implemented considering the cost of the power exchanges by each available resource and the available local and global information based on data-driven models. RESCOPE4GREEN brings together the complementary expertise of three research units, at the University of Padova, University of Trento, and University of Trieste, to realize hybrid microgrid solutions and related control algorithms for DERs. In particular: 1. Electronic conversion systems with advanced control and coordination capabilities allowing the interlinking of multiple AC and DC sources and the required energy exchange with local smart loads like electric vehicles. 2. Coordination of multiple converters to provide efficient and economical operation and exploit the energy resources in low-voltage AC-DC microgrids interfaced with the utility grid. Advanced control capabilities of the distributed converters should be coordinated and exploited to improve the stability of hybrid systems, optimize power flows, and minimize current harmonics and unbalance in AC sub-systems. The converter operation, control, and coordination will be demonstrated using real-time simulation testbeds and experimental laboratory prototypes.

RESCOPE4GREEN aims to contribute to the mission “Green Revolution and Ecological Transition” of the Italian “Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza” (PNRR) in line with the EU Energy Roadmap 2050. An essential step for the “energy transition” is the widespread deployment of renewable-based distributed energy resources (DERs). However, several aspects should be addressed for deeper penetration of DERs and the full exploitation of the available assets pursuing lower energy costs and higher resiliency. These include: • The potential need/availability of multiple energy sources and loads that should be interconnected effectively, exchanging large amounts of power and energy. Examples of such sources and loads are renewables like photovoltaic panels, local energy storage devices like batteries, smart bidirectional loads like electric vehicles, etc. • The need to coordinate the wide variety of DERs to provide services to the local grid and to the main utility grid, including improving the hosting capacity and the power quality, and supporting seamless transitions to autonomous operation in case of unavailability of the utility grid. Power electronic converters allow the interconnection of electrical sub-systems with different characteristics and are crucial in the ongoing energy transition. Integrated power converters solutions that can physically interconnect multiple energy sources at multiple ports allow energy management flexibility and efficiency, thus facilitating renewables integration, storage functionality, and electric mobility. In addition, by their capability of regulating voltages, currents, and power flows, they can provide local support to the grid and respond to coordination schemes improving the global performance of the AC main grid. Algorithms can be implemented considering the cost of the power exchanges by each available resource and the available local and global information based on data-driven models. RESCOPE4GREEN brings together the complementary expertise of three research units, at the University of Padova, University of Trento, and University of Trieste, to realize hybrid microgrid solutions and related control algorithms for DERs. In particular: 1. Electronic conversion systems with advanced control and coordination capabilities allowing the interlinking of multiple AC and DC sources and the required energy exchange with local smart loads like electric vehicles. 2. Coordination of multiple converters to provide efficient and economical operation and exploit the energy resources in low-voltage AC-DC microgrids interfaced with the utility grid. Advanced control capabilities of the distributed converters should be coordinated and exploited to improve the stability of hybrid systems, optimize power flows, and minimize current harmonics and unbalance in AC sub-systems. The converter operation, control, and coordination will be demonstrated using real-time simulation testbeds and experimental laboratory prototypes.