Enhanced Stability in Microgrids Using an Optimized Virtual Synchronous Generator Control for Voltage Source Converters

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

Department of Electrical Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

10.22098/joape.2025.18690.2454

Abstract

This study introduces a Virtual Dynamic Emulation–Virtual Synchronous Generator (VDE–VSG) control strategy for converter-dominated microgrids, explicitly linking DC-side energy dynamics with AC-side inertial behavior. The proposed framework integrates photovoltaic (PV) generation, bidirectional battery storage, and a three-phase voltage-source converter, in which the DC-link voltage informs the virtual inertia and damping response. A systematic analysis of the synthetic inertia (J) and damping (D) parameters highlights their critical role in balancing transient speed and oscillation suppression. To achieve optimal performance, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is applied offline to identify the J–D pair that minimizes frequency deviations under varying load and fault conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the PSO-optimized VDE–VSG substantially outperforms both conventional dual-loop control and baseline VSG schemes. Under step load disturbances, the optimized controller reduces maximum frequency deviation by 62% and accelerates active power settling by 57%. During DC-side short-circuit faults, DC-link voltage depression decreases from 43% to 17%, while recovery time is shortened by 93%. These findings underscore the physical coherence of DC-aware virtual inertia and damping, confirming that coordinated tuning via PSO enhances stability, transient response, and robustness in microgrid operation. The study presents a reproducible methodology and validates the practical feasibility of implementing the VDE–VSG on contemporary real-time platforms.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Operation and Automation in Power Engineering
Volume 13, Special Issue
Intelligent and Sustainable Power Systems (ISPS): AI-Driven Innovations for Renewable Integration and Smart Grid Resilience
2025
Pages 1-16

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 22 December 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 December 2025
  • First Publish Date: 22 December 2025

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