Plug-and-play reconfigurable electric power microgrids

1. A method of controlling a component which receives an input signal and produces an output signal comprising:

(a) in response to a change in the input signal, generating a first value corresponding to a disturbance value (m), a second value corresponding to a rate of change to the disturbance value (m), a third value corresponding to a second voltage quantity (V q );

(b) in response to receiving the first, second, and third values:

(b1) generating a reference power point (p ref ) corresponding to an amount of power to be produced to maintain a voltage within a predetermined voltage range about a reference voltage (V ref ); and

(b2) generating a feedback signal needed to stabilize electrical power produced by the component to produce the value of the reference power point p ref .

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting a change in the input signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting a change in an input signal comprises sensing a change in an input signal with a sensor.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

mapping the feedback signal , the state variable x, and the disturbance value (m) to provide a physical control signal (u).

5. The method of claim 4 wherein in response to receiving a computed physical control signal (U), determining actual ranges of p ref , v ref over which control can be maintained.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

in response to the physical control signal (U) having a value between a minimum value (U min ) and a maximum value (U max ), applying control values to the components; and

in response to the physical control signal (U) having a value which is not between the minimum value and the maximum value, then applying one of the minimum value and the maximum value.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the component is a synchronous machine and the physical control signal is an excitation signal.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the component is an inverter-interfaced component and the physical control signal is an inverter control signal.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the inverter-interfaced component is an inverter-interfaced photovoltaic (PV) component.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the component comprises an induction motor and the physical control signal is a pulse train.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the component is a storage system.

12. A method of controlling a component which receives an input signal and produces an output signal, the method comprising:

(a) in response to a change in the input signal, generating a first value corresponding to a disturbance value (m), a second value corresponding to a rate of change to the disturbance value (m), a third value corresponding to a second voltage quantity (V q );

(b) in response to receiving the first, second, and third values:

(b1) producing a value p ref corresponding to a desired reference electrical power produced by the component with the desired reference electrical power being within a range of desired electrical powers while concurrently maintaining a terminal voltage (v t ) of the component within a range of terminal voltages; and

(b2) in response to receiving the reference electrical power value (p ref ), producing a feedback signal ( ) having a value which stabilizes electrical power output by the component to produce the reference electrical power value (p ref ).

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

(a) detecting a change in an input signal; and

(b) repeating (a) and (b) to form an auto-tune control method.

14. A system for controlling a component, the system comprising:

(a) a sensing measurement system disposed to sense and measure characteristics input and/or output[s] to/from the component; and in response the measured characteristics, the sensing and measurement system produces at least two voltage values (v d , v g ), a disturbance value (m) and a rate of change of disturbance value (m); a state variable (z) of the component in state space and at least one observed state of the component (x);

(b) a controller coupled to said sensing and measurement system, said controlled configured to receive signals provided thereto from said sensing and measurement system and in response to the signals produced by said sensing and measurement system, said controller generates a feedback signal ( ) having a value which stabilizes electrical power produced by the component to produce a desired reference power point (p ref ).

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said controller comprises:

(a) a dynamic energy process (i.e. the first layer) configured to receive voltage values (v d , v g ), a disturbance value (m) and a rate of change of disturbance value ({dot over (m)}), a state variable (z) of the component in state space and at least one observed state of the component (x) and in response thereto, to generate a reference power point (p ref ) corresponding to an amount of power to be produced to maintain a voltage within a predetermined voltage range about a reference voltage (V ref ); and

(b) an active power processor (i.e. the second layer) configured to receive voltage values (v d , v g ), a disturbance value (m) and a rate of change of disturbance value ({dot over (m)}), a state variable (z) of the component in state space and at least one observed state of the component (x) and in response thereto to generate a feedback signal needed to stabilize electrical power produced by the component to produce the value of the reference power point p ref .

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the component corresponding to one of:

(1) a solar photovoltaic (PV) system;

(2) a storage system;

(3) a synchronous machine;

(4) an induction machine; and

(5) an inverter interfaced component.