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A Novel Unified Controller for Grid-Connected and Islanded Operation of PV-

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Transactions on Sustainable Energy
1

A Novel Unified Controller for Grid-Connected

and Islanded Operation of PV-Fed Single-Stage
Inverter
Mohamed M. Zakaria Moustafa, Member, IEEE, M. A. Aboushal, Tarek H.M. EL-Fouly, Senior
Member, IEEE, Ahmed Al-Durra, Senior Member, IEEE, and H. H. Zeineldin, Senior Member, IEEE

1 IrefPK[n−1] Previous current magnitude

Abstract-- This paper presents a novel robust current droop IrefPK [n] New reference current magnitude
controller (RCDC) using a single droop loop. This scheme is E*, Vopk Nominal and output voltage peak
unified supporting dual mode of operation for micro-grids (MGs), SCD Sampling control delay
including grid connected mode (GCM) and islanded mode (ISM) Iset* Active current set-point
while ensuring seamless transition between the two modes with Iopk Measured output current magnitude
proportional power sharing maintained. The proposed controller
Ke Integral gain of the voltage error
is further incorporated with an improved maximum power point
tracking (MPPT) technique presented for the parallel operation of kP, ki Proportional and resonant gains of the QPR
single-stage inverters fed by multi-string PV array topology. In regulator
addition, an improved phase-locked-loop-less (PLL-less) method ωc Cut-off frequency of the QPR regulator
is presented supporting self-synchronization strategy of the mp Active current droop gain
parallel operation of PV-inverters with the main grid while Iref,mag [n] Reference current drooped magnitude
maintaining the full capabilities of the unified control architecture. ωc Cut-off frequency of the QPR regulator
This obviates the usage of conventional PLLs, which are widely fnom, ωnom Nominal ordinary and angular frequency of
used with active synchronization techniques. The performance of
the micro-grid
the proposed control scheme is validated using real time
simulations (RTS) developed by dSPACE MicroLabBox. fPR, ωPR Ordinary and angular resonant frequency
of the QPR regulator
Index Terms—Smart Grid, Distributed Generation, Unified θv Phase angle of inverter's output voltage
Droop Controller, Self-Synchronization, MPPT. θiref Reference current angle
Eref Reference voltage vector of the inverter
NOMENCLATURE Proportional and integral gain of the fast
Kpr, Kir
frequency restoration loop
Ts Real time simulation sampling period
Vdc DC link voltage
Proportional and integral gains of the DC
VPV PV array output voltage kpdc, kidc
link voltage controller
IPV PV array output current
Vdc_ref Reference value of the DC link voltage
PPV Output power of the PV array
Vdc_err DC link voltage error
N Total number of parallel inverters
Cdc DC link voltage capacitance
j An integer ranged between 1 to N
ICdc DC link capacitor current
Lf, Cf LC Filter Inductance and capacitance
Direct and quadrature axes voltages of the
Ejabc Input voltages of the LC filter Vgdq
main utility grid
ILjabc Inductor current of the LC filter
αβ-STF αβ stationary frame
Vojabc, Iojabc Grid side output voltage and current
dq-SRF dq synchronous reference frame
ZLinej Coupling line impedance
Vgαβ, Voαβ Main grid and inverter voltages in αβ-STF
PCC Point of common coupling
ILαβ Inductor current in αβ-STF
ZLoad Load impedance at the PCC
Irefαβ Reference current vector in αβ-STF
STC Standard test condition of PV systems
fvDG, ωvDG Ordinary and angular output frequency of
Pr (W) Power rating of the PV module
the inverter's output voltage waveform
MPP Maximum power point of the PV module
fnom Nominal frequency of the MG
Vmpp, Impp PV output Voltage and current at the MPP
ΔfvDG Frequency synchronization term
Voc Open circuit voltage of the PV module
Isc Short circuit current of the PV module

Mohamed M. Zakaria Moustafa and M. A. Aboushal are with the
Electrical Engineering Department, Alexandria University, Alexandria,
Egypt and Dr. M. Moustafa was a Visiting Scholar at Khalifa University,
Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Tarek H.M. El-Fouly and Ahmed Al-Durra are with the Advanced
Power & Energy Center, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Department, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
H. H. Zeineldin is with Electrical Power Engineering Department, Cairo
University, Giza, Egypt and is currently on leave from Khalifa University,
Abu Dhabi, UAE.

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Transactions on Sustainable Energy
I. INTRODUCTION
P arallel operation of inverter-based photovoltaic (PV)
distributed generator (DG) requires three main control
functions; 1) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and DC-
link voltage regulation, mainly used while operating in a grid
connected mode (GCM); 2) power sharing, primarily employed
while operating in an islanded mode (ISM); and 3) active
synchronization with the main grid.
For maximum power point tracking, the control system
should manipulate the power circuit output impedance till
matching with the PV internal resistance at the point of
maximum power. For this purpose, many MPPT algorithms
have been presented for conditioning the control system aiming
the extraction of the maximum power point (MPP) belonged to
the P-V and I-V characteristics of a PV module. This tracking
should be addressed automatically by the local controller of the
voltage source inverter (VSI) depending on various techniques,
which can be divided into three major categories [1]–[4], as
depicted in Fig. 1. The first category continuously monitors the
PV current and/or voltage, thus achieving precise MPPT
independently of empirical data related to the PV module
characteristics. The main methods imputable to this category
are the incremental conductance (InC) [5], [6], perturb and
observe (P&O) [6]–[8], hill climbing (HC) [9], [10], BJT-
Tuned MPPT [11], in addition to optimization and fuzzy logic
(FLC) based techniques [12]–[15]. The second category
embraces several methods that determine the MPP at different
irradiances and temperatures relying on apriori data belonged
to the typical I-V curves of the PV array, such as fractional open
circuit voltage (FOCV) [16], fractional short circuit current
(FSCC) [4], [17], constant reference voltage (CRV) [18], curve
fitting [19], look-up tables based method [20], and current
sweep [1], [2]. With the use of these methods, the total number
of required voltage and/or current sensors is reduced, but at the
expense of compromising the tracking accuracy, which is the
main disadvantage of such approach, particularly under
anomalous changes in ambient insolation and temperature. The
last category contains hybrid methods combining both
measurements and empirical data [1], [2], [21].
P&O, which is the algorithm adopted in this paper, relies on
the voltage to power gradient (dVPV/dPPV) in tracking the MPP.
It has been remarked to be better in terms of dynamic response
and output voltage regulation at the DC-link [2], [22]. P&O
algorithm not only has relatively simple control algorithm, but
also offers high tracking precision for the MPP without prior
knowledge of the mathematical PV model, besides granting
satisfactory dynamic response. Therefore, P&O has been
widely employed for MPPT using only two set of sensors for
measuring the PV current and voltage. However, this method
still holds few disadvantages as follows [21]. Firstly, the P&O
algorithm causes an inherent oscillation in the output of the PV
system during the tracking process. In addition, the time elapsed
while oscillating around the MPP results in energy waste until
convergence is achieved. Moreover, the convergence time can
be further increased under rapidly changing atmospheric
conditions leading to higher energy losses; however, such rapid
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2
MPPT Techniques
Direct techniques
Incremental
Indirect techniques
Analytical lookup
conductance Adaptive method
methods
Perturb &
Observe Curve fitting Fuzzy logic methods
Curve sweep Particle swarm
optimization
Constant voltage
Constant current
Fig. 1 classification of maximum power point tracking techniques.
variations are not very common. Therefore, a compromise
between MPPT sampling rate and incremental step voltage
should be considered with DC voltage regulation in order to
achieve an optimized performance with minimal oscillations.
Regarding the second objective related to the power sharing,
droop-based control-methods have been broadly used in voltage
control mode (VCM) to support the dual mode of operation for
parallel inverters in micro-grids (MGs). However, this
technique is prone to many disadvantages which can be realized
from multiple perspectives [23]–[25], e.g. design dependency
on uncertain effective line impedance (EFLI), power sharing
deviations particularly for reactive power due to mismatched
EFLIs among parallel DGs, poor dynamic response owing to
the bandwidth limitation influenced by the dual voltage-current
loop architecture, the lack of adaptability with load variations
considering the inertia-less nature of VSIs, and the indirect
control of line currents since P-Q are used as the main control
variable resulting in poor power quality. Therefore, to enhance
power quality, a fast islanding detection (ID) and transient
mitigation strategies are needed for switching over between
voltage controlled mode (VCM) and current controlled mode
(CCM) subsequent to MG operating mode changes from ISM
to GCM, and vice versa [26]–[28]. Attractively, all these issues
have been obviated through a hybrid scheme reported in [29]
which encompasses predictive current estimator to cope with
load variations, robust current droop controller (RCDC) used
for proportional active current sharing, and quasi-proportional
resonant (QPR) regulator which regulates both the reference
current signal plus sharing reactive current intrinsically. Thus,
it offers a unified architecture operated in CCM while
supporting dual mode of operation, outstanding robustness
against load fluctuations, proportional sharing of P-Q output
power, and universal droop formula suitable with wide range of
output impedance's angle between – π/2 to π/2. In spite of those
advantages, this method does not guarantee accurate power
sharing under intermittent input power fed by renewable energy
source (RES) like PV arrays. The underlying reason beyond this
shortage is that an idealized DC-link voltage has been assumed,
while pushing all DGs to their maximum power ratings during
GCM, which can be impractical in case input power goes below
the rated setpoints of the current controlled voltage source
inverter (CCVSI).
Finally, concerning the active synchronization with the main
grid. The simulation results presented in [29] have relied on
synchronous reference frame phase-locked loop (SRF-PLL) to
detect the frequency in the MG; meanwhile, a simple zero-cross
detection (ZCD) method has been adopted for the active
synchronization to clear any phase shift between the inverter
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Transactions on Sustainable Energy
3

and the main grid voltages. Then, the per unit values of the Utility
filtered grid voltages, Vgαβ (pu) have been directly used as a Grid
template for the reference currents. However, despite the DG# Filter Io abc Tie Switch
+ +V / Lf
simplicity of ZCD method, its performance is poor under + dc E IL ZLine Iloadabc
Vdc −
abc abc
VPV +V /
transient events like load fluctuations and disturbances at the − dc IC Cf PCC
− − abc ZLoad
point of common coupling (PCC), which may result in high
inrush currents and voltage distortions upon synchronization. DG# Filter Io abc
+ +V /
Instead, phase-locked-loops (PLLs) have been remarked as + dc E IL Lf ZLine Common
Vdc −
abc abc
better synchronization choice over simple ZCD owing to their VPV +V / AC-Bus
− dc IC Cf
stable performance under disturbances and weak grid − − abc

conditions [30]–[32]. Nevertheless, PLLs are inherently Fig. 2 Typical block diagram of the MG under study.
nonlinear, thus necessitating complex design and advanced
tuning methods, which in turn reduces the system dynamic
III. OVERVIEW OF RCDC-QPR SCHEME AND ITS LIMITATIONS
response due to exhaustive computations. In addition, multiple
PLLs utilized in one system tend to compete with each other, The unified controller presented in [29] is comprised of
jeopardizing the system stability [31], [32]. A more attractive predictive current estimator linked with RCDC, and QPR inner
solution has been presented in [33]–[35] exploiting the droop regulator as shown in Fig. 3. This controller can accept any
function to obtain the reference frequency, thus acquiring the current set-point Iset* ranged from zero to Irated provided that an
voltage angle information without using a dedicated PLL. ideal DC-link source is available. Accordingly, Iset* could be
Although these methods bring a PLL-less design, but they still adjusted at the rated current during all times. Hence, the
embrace the other limitations of conventional VCM based inverters are always pushed up to their maximum power rating
droop control, as explained before. during GCM, while sharing the common load proportionally
during ISM. Nonetheless, this unified setting of Iset* cannot
In this paper, new enhancements are presented to enrich the directly be used when the inverter is interfaced to a PV source
control flexibility of the unified RCDC-QPR controller since the DC-link voltage can no longer be maintained. For
introduced in [29]. Following this line of research, the scheme clarity, this effect can be noticed when solar insolation level is
is modified to handle DC-link voltage variations post to PV decreased to a certain level such that the current at the MPP
input power changes, besides fulfilling active synchronization (Imp) is smaller than the specified current set-point, Iset*. This
with the main grid without using PLLs. A flexible operation is mismatch between the input power and the controller settings
thoroughly achieved during both ISM and GCM with the ability leads to a sudden collapse in the DC-link voltage since the
to switch over between these two modes seamlessly through a control set-point cannot be physically met. Thus, the controller
unified CCM. Highlighting the main contributions as follows; tries to increase the output current for tracking Iset*, but at the
1) Proposing a modified RCDC with mitigated resonance by
expense of DC voltage relegation. Recalling that the DC-link
eliminating the predictive current estimator originally
voltage Vdc can be denoted by the equation below [3], [25].
proposed in [29], while maintaining the operation in a
unified CCM with no need of islanding detection (ID) and 2√2 𝑉𝐿𝐿𝑟𝑚𝑠
𝑉𝑑𝑐 = × (1)
transient mitigation strategies witnessed in previous √3 𝑚𝑎
researches.
2) Developing a new simplified MPPT for single stage PV-
Irefpk [n-
E*
]
 Irefpk [n]
inverter, which uses only one current sensing element at Vratio
the AC side, obviating the need of additional current Vopk Predictive current
estimator
sensors at the DC-link. In addition, regulating DC-link
voltage without affecting the unified control architecture. E* Robust current
Vopk droop controller
3) A PLL-less self-synchronization mechanism (SSM) is + ke
extended on the unified RCDC instead of VCM based Iset* Iref,mag [n]
droop. In addition, general guidelines are outlined through Iopk + mp + ∫ ++
quantitative analysis for the intrinsic droop characteristics
QPR Controller
of the employed QPR regulator. Hence, an accurate PLL- Iref,mag [n]
less SSM is incorporated supporting both ISM and GCM. ki ωc s Eref
 + kp
s + ωc s+ωPR

II. MICRO-GRID CASE STUDY sin(θv)αβ
ILαβ
The case study considers a low voltage (LV) MG system as
shown in Fig. 2. Two three phase VSIs fed by multi-string PV Fig. 3 Block diagram of combined RCDC-QPR scheme
array are interfaced through an output LC filter and coupling Hence, under the maximum amplitude modulation index
lines with parallel linkage at the PCC. The adopted PV module (ma_max =1) in linear range, the minimum DC-link voltage
parameters are extracted from the Sunpower (SPR-315E-WHT- (Vdc_min) permissible for the operation of VSI is 508.0682 Volt.
D) module data encompassed within the library of Taking a factor of safety (10-20%) into account for considering
MATLAB/Simulink software [36].

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Transactions on Sustainable Energy
4

the power and switching losses, then Vdc_min is estimated as 600 IV. MODIFIED CONTROL SCHEME PROPOSED FOR PV
Volt. Consequently, when the DC-link voltage becomes far INTEGRATION
beyond Vdc_min, then a completely deteriorated response may be To incorporate a PV array with the unified CCM, instead of
resulted, leading to entire system instability. Thereby, it can be ideal DC source, the control at the DC-link side is modified
stated that RCDC posed in [29] cannot facilitate the integration comprising two main regulating Iopk and DC-
of multi-string PV inverter in case the current set-point Iset* is
Vdc_ref blocks, namely MPPT
link
VPV voltage controller, as shown in Fig. 7. The MPPT is only
remained fixed, disregarding the DC-link voltage variations. activated D GCM.
during Vdc −
Boost Meanwhile, DCMPPT
*
link Iset is halted Eabc
Hybrid during
IPV MPPT
Converter + controller RCDC-QPR
Another limitation is brought by resonance interactions ISM, as the system operates in power sharing mode, with the
between the inverter's harmonics and MG network impedances. ILαβof load shedding, if needed.
aid
It is found that those resonant harmonics are essentially (a)
stimulated by the predictive current scaling method proposed in Iopk
[29] using feed-forward current multiplier (Vratio). The latter is VPV Vdc_ref DC link Iset
* Eabc
−+
basically oscillatory, adding harmonics distortions to the MPPT
Hybrid
reference signal, as depicted in Fig. 4. Thus, resonance
IPV controller RCDC-QPR
phenomenon is emerged in both the output voltage at the PCC, ILαβ
in addition to output active and active power. This undesired Fig. 7 DC-link voltage regulation of single
(b) stage PV multi string inverter.
effect took place after (2.5 seconds) from simulation run in real
time, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively. A. Design of DC-link voltage controller
This issue is addressed in this paper, where Vratio multiplier Since that VSI is directly coupled to the PV array, then the
has been disabled without influencing the system response, MPPT algorithm continuously changes Vdc_ref in compliance
considering that the RCDC already possesses a branch for with the tracked MPP voltage (Vmpp). Hence, the new Vdc_ref
voltage regulation connected in parallel to the active current determined by the MPPT must be reflected in the magnitude of
droop controller, as shown in Fig. 3. This enables voltage the AC current setpoint Iset* for controlling the exchanged
regulation during islanding without further efforts. power with the main grid. For this reason, a proportional
integral (PI) voltage controller is employed to regulate the
voltage error detected between the operating voltage of the PV
array (VPV) and Vdc_ref, thus Iset* is generated accordingly. In this
sense, the DC-link voltage (Vdc) is always pushed towards Vmpp
without using an intermediate power circuit for MPP extraction
like the case of double stage topology utilizing DC-DC boost
converter [2], [3]. This emphasizes that the DC-link control
structure is remarkably simplified in the case of single stage
topology, as shown in Fig. 7.
For tuning the DC-link control parameters, the following
system model has been designated. Considering a balanced stiff
Fig. 4 Ratio of nominal over output voltage applied for current scaling. grid with fixed frequency 50 Hz at the steady state, i.e. no phase
angle change (Vgq= 0), then the power exported to the main grid
is defined as follows;
3 3
𝑃𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑑 = (𝑉𝑔𝑑 𝐼𝑔𝑑 + 𝑉 ⏟𝑔𝑞 𝐼𝑔𝑞 ) = 𝑉𝑔𝑑 𝐼𝑔𝑑 (2)
2 2
≈0
where Vgd, Vgq, Igd, Igq are the direct and quadrature axes of the
main grid voltage and current, respectively. Hence, the
dissipated power at the DC-link capacitor PCap can be given as;
𝑃𝐶𝑎𝑝 = 𝑃𝑃𝑉 − 𝑃𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑑 (3)
where PPV is the output power of the PV array. Thus,
Fig. 5 The output voltage at the PCC of the MG with resonance effect.
𝐶𝑑𝑐 3
𝑠𝑉𝑑𝑐 × 𝑉𝑑𝑐 = (𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝐼𝑃𝑉 − (𝑉𝑔𝑑 𝐼𝑔𝑑 )) (4)
2 2
1 3 (𝑉𝑔𝑑 𝐼𝑔𝑑 )
𝑉𝑑𝑐 = (𝐼 − ) (5)
𝐶𝑑𝑐 /2 𝑠 𝑃𝑉 2 𝑉𝑑𝑐
From (5), the block diagram shown in Fig. 8 is derived for DC-
link voltage regulation, where Gc_dc (s) is a PI voltage controller
used to compare the DC-link voltage Vdc fed by the PV array
against the reference DC-link voltage Vdc_ref . According to the
voltage error, the magnitude of the AC current set point Iset*
(equivalent to Igd*) is varied as per (6) until the DC-link voltage
Fig. 6 Output powers of DG1,2: (a) active power. (b) reactive power. becomes regulated at the designated Vdc_ref .

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Transactions on Sustainable Energy
5

𝑘𝑖𝑑𝑐
𝐼𝑠𝑒𝑡 ∗ = 𝑉𝑑𝑐_𝑒𝑟𝑟 . 𝐺𝑐𝑑𝑐 (𝑠) =× 𝑘𝑝𝑑𝑐 (1 + ) (6) IPV / PPV ILph / PPV Power
𝑠 Current
where kpdc and kidc are the proportional and integral gains of the DC/AC
DC-link controller. Note that Iset* or (Igd*) is calculated
independently of the inverter output impedance or the grid
voltage, as it only changes based on the DC-link voltage error VPV VPV
(i.e., PV power changes). Meanwhile, the power sharing (a) (b)
accuracy is guaranteed through the RCDC-QPR hybrid control. Fig. 9 I-V and P-V characteristic of PV array realized at DC and AC sides. (a)
with DC current measured (b) with AC phase current measured.
Based on the control model depicted in Fig. 8, the PI
coefficients have been tuned using Ziegler–Nichols method. By is fed to the RCDC-QPR controller to manage the power flow
driving the system to oscillatory response, two parameters have accordingly. The indicated simplifications can be inferred from
been captured, namely Kcr and Tcr, which are the critical gain the exhibited flow charts shown in Fig. 10 and 11, respectively
and time period of the oscillatory cycle. Accordingly, the tuned by discriminating the conventional against the proposed
parameters, kpdc and kidc, have been set equal to (0.4×Kcr) and simplified P&O algorithm.
(1.2/Tcr), respectively as will be demonstrated later in Table I.
Start
IPV
Vdc_ref Vdc_err Igd* ICdc Vdc Measure VPV and IPV
− Gc_dc(s) Vgd −+
+
(Cdc/ ) s
Vdc Calculate PPV (n) = IPV (n) .VPV (n)

dPPV = PPV (n)−PPV (n− )

Fig. 8 Block diagram of the DC-link controller.
Yes
B. New AC P&O MPPT Technique for single stage PV system dPPV >
MPPT has always been addressed through measuring the PV No
power at the DC-link side as widely mentioned in the literature. Yes
dVPV > dVPV >
Yes
In contrast, MPPT has never been handled directly through the
AC side measurements, especially with single-stage PV- No No
inverter topology. In this section, the current measured at the Decrease Vdc_ref Increase Vdc_ref Decrease Vdc_ref Increase Vdc_ref
AC side is directly employed to track the MPP. To understand
this concept, consider the following relations.
PPV (n− )= PPV (n)
𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑣 = 𝑃𝑃𝑉 – 𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 (7)
𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑣 𝑉𝑃𝑉 × 𝐼𝑃𝑉 Return
𝐼𝐿𝑝ℎ = ≈ (8)
√3𝑉𝐿𝐿𝑟𝑚𝑠 cos(−𝜃𝑖 ) √3𝑉𝐿𝐿𝑟𝑚𝑠 cos(−𝜃𝑖 ) Fig. 10 Flow chart of the conventional DC based MPPT using P&O.
where, Pinv is inverter output power, PPV is the input PV power,
Start
Ploss is the system power losses, ILph is the inverter's phase
current passing through the LC filter inductor, and VLLrsm is the Measure rms phase current ILph of the VSI
line rms voltage. From (8), assuming that power losses are
dILph = ILph (n)−ILph (n− )
negligible, in addition to constant grid voltage, then a linear
relation can be found between ILph and VPV. Accordingly, the I- Yes
dILph =
V and P-V characteristic of the PV module can be recognized
No
from both the DC and AC side's measurements as depicted in Yes
Fig. 9 (a) and (b), respectively. The curves shown in Fig. 9 (a) dILph >

are those measured at the DC-side, which are normally used for
MPPT in previous researches. On the other hand, using AC
current measurements, Fig. 9 (b) shows that both curves (ILph
vs. VPV) and (PPV vs. VPV) are linearly related. This emphasizes
the feasibility of using the measured AC current (inverter side)
for tracking the MPP directly. In this context, the system
monitors only the AC side current, which is already measured
across the LC filter inductance as a part of the unified process
controller. Thus, as long as the measured AC current is
increased, Vdc_ref is perturbed in the same direction by the P&O
algorithm either by an increase or decrease for tracking MPP.
Hence, the DC-link PI voltage controller alters the magnitude
of the inverter's AC current setpoint Iset* till eliminating the
voltage error between the perturbed voltage reference (Vdc_ref)
and the PV array operating voltage (VPV). In the meantime, Iset*
No
Increase Vdc_ref Decrease Vdc_ref
ILph (n− )= ILph (n)
Return
Fig. 11 Flow chart of the proposed simplified MPPT using P&O for single stage
multi-string PV inverter.
Furthermore, it is worth to be noticed that, the current
amplitude set-point Iset* readjustment at zero within droop
equation is not mandatory upon sudden islanding opposed to
conventional VCM based droop methods. This is a unique
feature offered by the proposed RCDC since it can freely accept
any setpoint value ranged between 0 to Irated during ISM, while
maintaining proportional power sharing among parallel DGs.

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Thus, the last Iset* value determined by the MPPT prior to two functions yield the frequency of inverter's output voltage
islanding can be directly used without affecting the power (fvDG), and time varying frequency change (ΔfvDG), which is set
sharing accuracy. On the contrary, conventional VCM based temporarily until the inverter output current and grid voltage
approaches requires islanding detection to return the current become synchronized. Fig. 12 (a) shows that the intrinsic droop
setpoint to zero when islanding takes place for reformulating characteristics of the inner QPR regulator can be directly
the droop equation. exploited to obtain fvDG. Hence, a PLL-less frequency detector
is attained instead of the conventionally used PLL. Using the
Accordingly, using the proposed MPPT strategy alongside control parameters shown later in Table I, while considering
with single stage- based PV array topology, the following varied reactive loading conditions between (±3.0 kVAr), then
advantages could be attained: the linear fitted curves shown in Fig. 13 yields an approximately
• The proposed method provides a simple yet accurate P&O linear relation between the inverter's output reactive power (Q)
algorithm, reinforcing the flexibility of modified RCDC to and frequency, as defined in (9) for parallel CCVSIs.
integrate with PV systems under all operating conditions. Δ𝑓 Δ𝑓 𝑘𝑝
• Only one AC current sensor is required to sense the output 𝑓𝑣𝐷𝐺 = 𝑓𝑛𝑜𝑚 + × 𝑄, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 ≡ (9)
ΔQ ΔQ 𝑘𝑖
for MPPT purpose. This removes the necessity of current The slope of the linearized curve (Δf /ΔQ) represents the
sensing element in the DC-link side, as well as signal frequency boost ratio. Noticeably, the latter is equal to the
conditioning and DC power calculation. proportional gain over the resonant gain (kp/ki) belonged to the
• For three-phase systems, only one sensor of smaller rating inner QPR regulator, as inferred from Fig. 13 (a)-(c). It is found
will be required to measure the phase AC current compared that these gains are responsible for shaping the relation between
to the conventional P&O MPPT method, which needs to Q vs. fvDG. This implies that the gain kp determines the
consider the entire rated power of the VSI in the DC-link. maximum frequency deviation from the nominal value fnom,
• The system is slightly perturbed compared to other preceding whereas ki influences the frequency rate of change
P&O methods as power conditioning delays are removed. In corresponding to reactive load variations. Hence, the lower the
addition, the incremental voltage variations are compromised
ratio kp/ki, the smaller the frequency deviation is resulted.
with MPPT sampling rate for minimized oscillations.
Additionally, the slope of the linearized curve is always equally
• It is also worth noting that under homogeneous irradiance
matched to the ratio kp/ki, as depicted in Fig. 13. Therefore, this
conditions, the single stage PV-inverter topology proposed
herein is preferred in most industries, as it is more efficient ratio can be directly used as the frequency boost ratio, thus;
𝑘𝑝
and economical compared with double stage topology [1], 𝑓𝑣𝐷𝐺 = 𝑓𝑛𝑜𝑚 + ( ) (−𝐸 ∗ 𝐼𝑜𝑞 ) (10)
[2]. In this case, a suitable number of PV strings has to be 𝑘𝑖
connected in series respecting the minimum design value for where, Vod, Voq are the direct and quadrature axes of the output
DC-link voltage; meanwhile, parallel PV strings are fnom

fvDG
designated accordingly based on the desired power level. ωvDG
−Ioq kp / ki  E* π
• The droop equation formula can be kept unchanged upon fboost (ωvDG)t ≡ (θv)
ILαβ ∫
αβ θv
switching between different mode in the MG as the proposed dq
PLL-less frequency detector
RCDC accepts different current set-point Iset* during ISM (a)
ranged from 0 to Irated, while still being capable to share the (lag/lead) sign
load proportionally among parallel inverters. This δ(t) (ΔfvDG)t ΔfvDG ΔfvDG

(rad)
++ / π d/dt
advantageous feature does not necessitate current set-point . .
Iset* manipulations post to islanding, which in turn eliminates θv S
+ sin ≥
− Trigger signal
the respective needs of ID as well as the undesired transients Vgβ θg
imposed during switching events. Vgα Tan-
SSM with the main grid
(b)
V. AN IMPROVED SELF SYNCHRONIZATION STRATEGY FOR Fig. 12 Active self-synchronization. (a) PLL-less frequency detector. (b) SSM
THE INTEGRATION WITH THE GRID with the main grid.

The PLL-less SSM control scheme introduced in [37] is

integrated herein with the proposed unified controller to offer
better control flexibility for the integration of PV multi-string
inverters. This concept is extended for proportional load sharing
between unequally rated inverters instead of equal current
sharing highlighted in [37]. Moreover, a quantitative analysis is
outlined to give general guidelines for tuning the adopted PLL-
less method more accurately using QPR regulator. All these
considerations contribute to the robustness of the overall
control behavior and design of the PV-integrated system.
The adopted control structure can be realized through two
main blocks, named PLL-less frequency detector and SSM, as Fig. 13 Output frequency of CCVSI corresponding to reactive load variations
shown in Fig. 12 (a) and (b), respectively. The output of these ranged between (±3.0 kVAr) under different boost ratios. (a) kp/ki , (b) 0.5 kp/ki,
(c) 0.25kp/ki.

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voltage. Noting that Voq equals zero when the frequency is
maintained at the steady state. Ioq is the quadrature axis current
intrinsically controlled by the QPR regular. E* is the nominal
voltage magnitude substituting Vod since that the voltage is
firmly regulated by the RCDC at the nominal value. In this
essence, the quantitative analysis described above gives basic
guidelines for tuning the response of the PLL-less detector
using the inner QPR regulator. Hence, the reference current
angle can be made in phase with inverter's output voltage, while
controlling the reactive droop characteristics and maximum
frequency deviations. Upon transition to grid connected mode,
the voltage angle is not mandatorily matched with that of the
main grid as per the phasor diagram exhibited in Fig 14. As
shown, a transformation from αβ stationary frame (αβ-STF) to
dq synchronous reference frame (dq-SRF) is implemented to
evaluate the phase shift angle δ between the inverter and the
main grid's voltages, as per (11).
𝛿 = 𝜔𝑣𝐷𝐺 𝑡 − 𝜔𝑛𝑜𝑚 𝑡 (11)
where, ωvDG and ωnom are the inverter's output and nominal
angular frequencies. Considering that, θg can be derived using
the arctangent function denoted in (12)
𝜃𝑔 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 (𝑉𝑔𝛽 /𝑉𝑔𝛼 ) (12)
And,
𝜔𝑛𝑜𝑚 𝑡 = 𝜃𝑔 + 90 (13)
From (12) and (13), (11) can be rewritten as follows;
𝛿 = 𝜔𝑣𝐷𝐺 𝑡 − 𝜃𝑔 − 90 (14)
Voβ Vgβ
Vgq
Vg
ωnomt
θg
-Vgα θg−
θg−
-Vgq
Fig. 14 Phasor diagram of the grid voltage transformation from αβ-STF to dq-
SRF.
Accordingly, the angle δ must be nullified at the steady state
in order to achieve synchronism, which sets out the following
condition given in (15) [37].
𝜔𝑣𝐷𝐺 𝑡 − 𝜃𝑔 = 90
{ (15)
𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝜔𝑣𝐷𝐺 𝑡 − 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 (𝑉𝑔𝛽 /𝑉𝑔𝛼 )) = 1.0
To meet the condition of (15) , the approach shown in Fig. 12
(b) is implemented to eliminate the phase error by embedding a
time varying frequency change (ΔfvDG) to the inverter for active
synchronization with the main grid. For this purpose, a fast
frequency restoration loop (FFRES) loop is implemented as
depicted in Fig. 15. During ISM, it restores the frequency fvDG
to its nominal value upon any reactive load changes caused by
the reactive boost droop of the QPR regulator. Meanwhile, it
activates a gradual change ΔfvDG, upon transition to GCM. The
parameter ΔfvDG remains activated until meeting the
synchronization condition defined in (15), then it becomes
nullified as indicated in Fig. 12 (b). Accordingly, the necessary
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information, e.g. output frequency fvDG and voltage phase angle
θv can be easily obtained from the measured output reactive
power depending on the intrinsic droop attributes of QPR
regulator. Note that this concept has been discussed in earlier
publications given for conventional VCM based droop
techniques [33], [34], but it has not been studied yet before with
resonant controllers taking advantage of their associated
inherent droop characteristics. Therefore, the relation given by
(10) is newly introduced in to obviate the normally used PLLs.
Note that FFRES is also an essential part of this approach since
that frequency is always changeable by the QPR regulator upon
any reactive load variations [29], [37].
fnom
PI controller
fvDG + + fPR(t)
−+ kpr  ++
+
ΔfvDG
kir ∫ dt
Fig. 15 Frequency restoration block embedded with the proposed SSM.
VI. OVERALL CONTROL SCHEME AND REAL TIME
SIMULATION RESULTS
The overall control scheme, including the improved RCDC,
the simplified MPPT, and the accurate PLL-less SSM, is
presented in Fig. 17. System performance has been validated
using real time simulation (RTS) during both ISM and GCM
with random switching between these two modes. Two PV
arrays rated as (15 kW) and (7.5 kW) at STC have been
Vgd
assigned as the main source of DG1 and DG2, while feeding two
parallel CCVSI with maximum ratings equal to 20 kVA and 10
Voα kVA, respectively. A fixed time step solver has been employed
for RTS with a sampling rate (fs =10 kHz). Hence, the
Vgα
incremental step voltage of the MPPT has been relegated to
(Vstep=0. 00025) in compromise with the RTS sampling rate to
avoid large perturbations in the system output. The other
network and control system parameters have been calculated
based on the tuning guidelines outlined in [29], [37], as listed
in Table I. Note that each PV array consists of a specific number
of parallel and series strings as indicated in Table II. All those
parameters are employed together for executing the real-time
simulation scenarios which are illustrated in Table III. The
implemented RTS adopts the model in the loop prototype,
where both the plant model and the designed controller are
testified using RTS. The hardware used in the simulation is
dSPACE MicroLabBox. In addition, a graphical user interface
(GUI) has been created using ControlDesk software that is
installed on a host PC. This GUI is used to set and modify the
MG operating mode and PV climatic conditions by the user
during simulation run in real time, while exporting the feedback
results to an external Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO)
through the real time simulator output ports. The general layout
of the RTS laboratory mounting that has been established as
depicted in Fig. 16.
As delineated in Table III, the simulation scenario
commences with the inverters' operation in ISM. Two parallel
PV-inverters proportionally share the common loads as
indicated before in Fig. 2. It is preliminary assumed that the PV-
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TABLE III
THE SIMULATION SCENARIO APPLIED ON THE CASE STUDY.

Common MPP of
Simulation MG Insolation Temp.
Loads DG1,2
time (s) Mode (W/m2) (° C)
(kVA) (kW)
0.0 –2.0 1000 25 6.0+2.0j No
2.0 –4.0 ISM 1000 25 12.0+4.0j tracking
4.0 –8.0 1000 25 0.0 15.12/7.53
8.0 –12.0 GCM 300 25 12.0+4.0j 4.43/2.21
12.0 –16.0 800 30 6.0+2.0j 11.63/5.9
No
16.0 –20.0 ISM 800 30 12.0+4.0j
tracking

arrays are exposed to the STC at uniform irradiance and

Fig. 16 Real time simulation laboratory setup. temperature levels, namely 1000 W/m2 and 25 ° C, respectively.
ΔfvDG The loading conditions is abruptly doubled from (6+2j kVA) to
Frequency fPR(t)
Vgαβ fvDG (t)
PLL-less SSM Restoration (12+4j kVA) after two seconds from the simulation start. Then,
[sin(θiref)] αβ
ILαβ
during the time period (from 4 to 16 second), the main grid is
switched into service alongside with the MG. Hence, the PV-
Vod Iref,mag [n] Irefαβ(t) − QPR Mabc Eabc inverters share the active load currents proportionally, while
Robust Current
Droop Controller  + regulator Vdc
injecting the excess energy to the main grid at unity power
SCD
factor. In the meantime, the main grid compensates any supply
Iset * ≃Iopk
shortage within the MG below the load demands. Another part
DC link Vdc_ref Iopk of the simulation scenario is activated during GCM by varying
controller +− MPPT
ambient climatic conditions subjected to the PV arrays. In this
VPV
sense, the insolation level is varied between (1000-300-800)
DC Voltage Regulation
W/m2 during the time intervals (4-8, 8-12, and 12-16 seconds),
Fig. 17 Block diagram of the proposed control scheme using a new MPPT (with
single input) and an accurate SSM for single stage multi-string PV-inverter.
respectively. Meanwhile, the ambient temperature has been
manipulated through a ramp function with a slew rate (±5 ° C
TABLE I
NETWORK AND CONTROL SYSTEM PARAMETERS. per second) to be increased gradually from 25 to 30 ° C during
Parameter Description Value the time period (12-16 seconds). Concurrently, the loading
0.5+j0.0658/ condition has been also varied during GCM disconnecting the
Zline1/ Zline2 Line impedance of DG1,2 (Ω)
0.25+j 0.0329 common loads during the time interval (4-8 seconds), whilst
Srated1/Srated2 Rated power of DG1,2 (kVA) 12.0/ 6.0 different loading values equivalent to (12+4j kVA) and (6+2j
Vline/ fnom Nominal line voltage and frequency 380V /50 Hz
kVA) are activated during the simulation period (8-12 and 12-
Vdc_min Minimum DC-link voltage 600 V
Lf1,2/ Cf1,2 LC inductor and capacitor in DG1,2 4mH/ 5μF
16 seconds), respectively. After (16 seconds), the PV arrays are
ωc Angular cut-off frequency of QPR 2π×4 rad/sec remained exposed to 800 W/m2 and 30 ° C, while a sudden
kp1,2 Proportional gain of QPR 0.0233 islanding is provoked, thus the common loads become entirely
Ki1,2 Resonant gain of QPR 3.7037 supplied by the MG. More intensely, an additional transient is
Ke1,2 Voltage error gain of RCDC 0.5 considered by having the common loads doubled at the same
mp1,2 Active current droop gain of RCDC 0.1815 instant of this abrupt islanding.
Kpr1,2/ Kir1,2 PI gains of the FFRES 5/300
Ts RTS sampling period 100μs
Comparative simulations have been executed using the
Vstep Incremental step voltage of MPPT 0.00025
proposed simplified P&O algorithm in contrast with the
kpdc/kidc DC-link controller gains 500/3
Pr (W) Power rating of the PV module. 315 W
conventional P&O MPPT. Running the simulation, the obtained
Vmp(V) Voltage at the MPP (Volt) 57.7 V results showed that the MPPT algorithm precisely tracks the
Imp (A) Current at the MPP (A) 5.76 MPP of both PV arrays rated (15 kW) and (7.5 kW),
Voc (V)
Open circuit voltage of the PV
64.6 V
respectively. This has been achieved during all times of GCM
module with both DG1 and DG2 under varied insolation and temperature
Short circuit current of the PV
Isc (A) 6.14 as depicted in Fig. 18. The attained PV power is fully compliant
module
Tr Rated temperature at STC a
25 °C with the MPP reference values supposed to be extracted as per
Sr Rated solar irradiance at STCa 1000 W/m2 the simulation scenarios outlined in Table III. This proves the
a
STC: Standard test conditions. high tracking accuracy offered by the proposed simplified
TABLE II MPPT to extract the maximum available PV power. In addition,
PV ARRAY PARAMETERS. good dynamic response is well observed, while keeping
Value insignificant perturbations depending on the adopted
Parameter
DG1 DG2
Number of parallel strings 4 2
compromise between the P&O sampling rate (10 kHz) and the
selected incremental voltage steps (0. 00025V).
Number of series modules per each for DG1/DG2 12 12

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Fig. 18 Measured PV power under varied irradiation and temperature.
The DC-link PI voltage controller has regulated the voltage
Vdc in matching with the operating mode, as illustrated in Fig.
19. It is plainly shown that the DC-link voltage has been
maintained during ISM at (760 and 720 V DC) in matching
with the PV operating point which satisfies the load demand
(6+2j) and (12+4j) kVA, respectively. Meanwhile, during
GCM, the MPPT algorithm continuously manipulates the
reference DC-link voltage Vdc_ref in matching with the varied
climatic conditions indicated before in Table III. Thereafter, the
DC link voltage is maintained back again at 720 VDC upon the
sudden switching to ISM. This reveals the design effectiveness
of the proposed design coupling the MPPT algorithm with the
DC link voltage PI controller in achieving the proper PV
operating point at the DC link side. Additionally, it is clear that
the transient response of the DC link voltage regulation is quite
fast with no negligible oscillations and/or overshoots.
In the same essence, the correspondent magnitude of the AC
current reference set point Iset* has been adaptively varied by the
DC link voltage PI controller, particularly during GCM within
the time period (4-16 seconds), in compliance with the tracked
Vmpp coping with the irradiation/temperature changes, as shown
in Fig. 20. Meanwhile in ISM, the DC link voltage PI controller-
Fig. 19 Regulated DC-link voltage using the proposed MPPT algorithm.
Fig. 20 AC current set point controlled by DC voltage regulator under varied
irradiation and temperature.
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automatically manipulate Iset at zero as shown during the time
interval (0-4 and 16-20 seconds). It is obvious that the
generated current set point is free of any oscillation, which
reinforces that the P&O algorithm perturbations are mitigated
using the adopted small step voltage, meanwhile this
compromise had no side impact of the system transient response
since that the current set point is simultaneously varied
subsequent to the applied changes by the simulation scenarios
mentioned in Table III.
Prominently, the power sharing has been precisely addressed
in proportional with the power ratings of parallel inverters,
where a sharing percentage equal (66%-33%) has been
maintained between DG1 and DG2 for both the active and
reactive power as shown in Fig. 21 and 22. The power sharing
accuracy is also maintained during the dual mode of operation
independently of the network unknown impedance parameters
and without using communication links. Moreover, in spite of
assuming different tie line impedances at the output terminals
of DG1 and DG2 as outlined in Table I, the output active and
reactive power sharing accuracy has not been affected. This
also proves the robustness of the proposed RCDC in offering an
accurate power sharing even with unequal output impedances.
Studying the reactive power sharing, in particular, for being one
of the challenging power quality issues, the proposed method is
proven to accurately share the reactive power without using any
virtual impedance or uncertainty estimators in contrast to many
complex methods discussed in the literature. Additionally, the
power delivery to the main grid has been maintained at unity
power factor as desired during GCM. Same results have been
confirmed as shown in Fig. 23, where the output peak current
of the three phase system is shown to be shared proportionally
between parallel inverters without any remarkable overshoots
even under transients like double loading during ISM, besides
transient input power variations due ambient insolation and
temperature changes. It is evident that a smooth transition is
always guaranteed. Moreover, a seamless transition from ISM
to GCM is observed with no considerable overshoots emerged
in the output power curves. However, it can be noticed that a
slight difference exists between extracted PV power (PPv1-2) and
inverters' output power (Pinv1,2) as shown in Fig. 21. This is
traced back to the power losses across the output LC filter and
the impedance line, in addition to the switching losses.
Compared to preceding publications, the design is freely built
with no regards to the MG operating mode thanks to the unified
current controlled architecture. Thereby, minimal overshoots
occurred upon switching from ISM to GCM, proving seamless
transition. In addition, system has efficiently maintained the
tracking process for the MPP using the simplified P&O
algorithm proposed in conjunction with the modified RCDC.
In addition, as clearly shown in Fig. 24, the output direct and
quadrature axes voltages (Vodq) at the PCC have been firmly
regulated, where the output voltage magnitude (Vod) is always
maintained at the nominal value (311 peak voltage) proving the
robustness of the proposed controller, while the output
quadrature axis is regulated at zero implying phase balancing in
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Fig. 21 Output active power under varied insolation and temperature level.
Fig. 22 Output reactive power under varied irradiation and temperature.
Fig. 23 Output peak currents proportionally shared between DG1 and DG2.
Fig. 24 Measured direct and quadrature axes voltages at the PCC.
the system. This proves that PCC output voltages have been
maintained with less 5% from the nominal voltage values in
compliance with IEEE 519 emphasizing the robust voltage
regulation supported by the proposed controller. Likewise, the
output peak currents of the two parallel inverters illustrated in
Fig. 23 are completely matched with the reference AC current
set point which have been identified by the MPPT algorithm as
depicted before in Fig. 20. No considerable overshoots exist
upon various condition, e.g. transient load variations either
during ISM or GCM, the climatic weather changes including
insolation and temperature changes, and switching events of the
MG operating mode. This highlights the superiority of the
unified current control architecture to guarantee seamless
operation in the MG under miscellaneous transient conditions.
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In summary, all the depicted results have shown that the
proposed simplified P&O algorithm depending on AC current
measurement has brought typical results same as that of the
conventional P&O algorithm that uses additional DC sensing
elements, implying that the proposed simplifications have no
compromise with system performance. From Figs. 18, 21, 22,
and 23, it is manifest that MPPT design could be freely built
with no regards to the operating mode by taking an advantage
of the controller unique feature accepting any current set-point
(from 0 to Irated) while satisfying only the proportionally shared
load during ISM. Hence, upon switching from GCM, islanded
operation could be seamlessly managed just by using the last
current set-point identified by the MPPT block with no
necessity of neither ID nor current set-point adjustment to zero
as broadly adopted by other VCM based droop controllers
during ISM. Additionally, the transient mitigation strategies
upon altering the control mode between VCM and CCM
subsequent to the MG operational changes are no longer
required owing to the unified current control architecture. In
addition, the simulation time has been successfully increased
above 2.5 seconds in real time without noticing any further
resonance issues in contrast with the basic design proposed in
[29], thanks to the removal of the predictive current scaling
Vratio.
Furthermore, the improved PLL-less SSM has been tested
separately from the simulation scenario, as depicted in Fig. 25.
It is evident that inverters automatically synchronize with the
main grid under different leading/lagging phase shifts, namely
120° and −90°. It also yields considerably quick response
achieving synchronism within three fundamental cycles or less.
Fig. 25 The output phase voltage at the PCC with the main grid is shifted by:
(a) 120° (b) −90°, under the control of PLL-less SSM.
In order to explore additional verifications on the control
efficacy and robustness under rapidly changed insolation and
temperature levels with wide variations, a more stringent
simulation scenario in GCM has been followed, as envisaged
through Table IV and Fig. 26, while assuming the
interconnected common loads are (6+2j kVA). From the RTS
results shown in Fig. 27, the proposed simplified P&O
algorithm has precisely tracked the MPP of both PV arrays
rated (15 kW) and (7.5 kW), respectively, in matching with the
reference values outlined in Table IV. This emphasizes that the
tracking accuracy has not been compromised even under
stringent insolation temperature changes plus keeping tenuous
perturbations. The DC-link voltage Vdc has been also
maintained as illustrated in Fig. 28 showing that the proposed
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MPPT algorithm efficiently manipulates the reference DC-link

voltage Vdc_ref in compliance with the varied climatic conditions
given in Table IV. Moreover, the transient response of the DC
link voltage regulation is proven to be quite fast with no
negligible oscillations and/or overshoots. Same results have
been confirmed for the output peak current of the three-phase
system which has been shared proportionally between the
parallel inverters without exhibiting any remarkable overshoots
even under the transients of input power variations resulted
from the insolation and temperature changes, as exhibited in
Fig. 29 Output peak currents of DG1 and DG2 under stringent insolation
Fig. 29. temperature changes.

TABLE IV Summarizing, simulation proves the control flexibility of the

STRINGENT SCENARIO FOR SOLAR AND TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS
improved unified controller validating its effectiveness in
Simulation MG Insolation Temp.
Common
MPP of
tracking the MPP under varied solar insolation levels and
Loads ambient temperatures.
time (s) Mode (W/m2) (° C) DG1,2 (kW)
(kW)
0.0 –4.0 1000 32 14.76/7.38
VII. CONCLUSION
4.0 –8.0 500 38 7/3.5
8.0 –12.0 GCM 800 27 6.0+2.0j 12/6 This paper presents an enhanced RCDC with a simplified
12.0 –16.0 300 22 4.5/2.25
MPPT algorithm and PLL-less SSM for the parallel operation
16.0 –20.0 600 25 9.04/4.52
of single-stage inverters fed by multi-string PV arrays. The
modified RCDC-QPR scheme efficiently operated in both ISM
and GCM without observing any resonance effect. Only one
AC current sensor has been used by the simplified P&O
algorithm enhancing the design simplicity, while precisely
tracking the MPP under varied insolation and temperature.
Besides, good dynamic response has been resulted with tenuous
perturbations owing to the adopted compromise between the
P&O sampling rate and incremental voltage steps. Prominently,
the design has been freely built with no regards to the operating
mode, accepting the last current setpoint identified by the
MPPT upon islanding with no need of setpoint manipulations
Fig. 26 Simulation scenario visualization. (a) Insolation level (kW/m2), (b)
thanks the flexibility of the proposed unified current controller.
Ambient temperature (°C). Depending on the proposed PLL-less SSM, the active
synchronization has been successfully achieved without using
dedicated PLLs or communication links between inverters. This
offers a simpler design obviating the complex tuning and
stability issues of normal PLLs. The general guidelines for
tuning the PLL-less detector have been also outlined through
quantitative analysis. The simplified MPPT and proposed PLL-
less detector have both enriched the control flexibility of the
original RCDC-QPR controller supporting dual mode of
operation with seamless transition between these two modes,
while exporting the extra PV power the main grid during GCM.
Design competency has been validated using real time
Fig. 27 Measured PV power under stringent insolation temperature changes. simulations developed by dSPACE MicroLabBox.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the Khalifa University of
Science and Technology under Award No. CIRA- 2019-049.

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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TSTE.2021.3074248, IEEE
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Mohamed M. Z. Moustafa (S’06-M’13)
received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in
electrical engineering from Alexandria
University, Egypt in 2001 and 2004,
respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in
electrical engineering from University of
Manitoba, Canada in 2012. He was with
OPAL-RT Technologies and RTDS
Technologies Inc. in Canada. He is currently an Associate
Professor at the Electrical Engineering department, Alexandria
University, Egypt. His research interests include smart grids,
This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI 10.1109/TSTE.2021.3074248, IEEE
Transactions on Sustainable Energy
13

renewable energy systems, HVDC and power electronics
applications in power systems. He is a Registered Professional
Engineer in the Province of Manitoba, Canada.
Mohamed Aboushal received the B.Sc.
and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering
from Alexandria University, Egypt in 2007
and 2012, respectively, and the Ph.D.
degree from Alexandria University, Egypt
in 2020 in the field of parallel operation of
distributed generators and related control
strategies. Since 2013, he worked at the
company of Middle East Oil Refinery
(MIDOR co), Alexandria, Egypt. He is currently a section head
at the electrical and automation department. His research
interests include power system analysis, power quality, control
strategies for micro-grid operation, and smart grids.
H. H. Zeineldin (M’06–SM’13) received
the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical
engineering from Cairo University, Giza,
Egypt, in 1999 and 2002, respectively,
and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and
computer engineering from the University
of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, in
2006. He was with Smith and Andersen
Electrical Engineering, Inc., North York, ON, USA, where he
was involved in projects involving distribution system designs,
protection, and distributed generation. He was a Visiting
Professor with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, MA, USA. He is currently with the Faculty of
Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt. His current research
interests include distribution system protection, distributed
generation, and micro grids. He is currently an Editor for the
IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion.

Tarek El-Fouly received his BSc and

MSc degrees from Ain Shams University,
Cairo, Egypt in 1996 and 2002,
respectively. He received his Ph.D. degree
in electrical engineering from the
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON,
Canada, in 2008. He joined
CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources
Canada, in 2008, as a Transmission and
Distribution Research Engineer. In 2010, he was appointed as
Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department, University of Waterloo. In 2014, he
was promoted to Smart Microgrids Research Manager at
CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada. In January 2015,
he joined Khalifa University of Science and Technology as an
Assistant Professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department and got promoted to Associate Professor on July
2019. Dr. El-Fouly conducts research on smart grids,
microgrids, high penetration of renewable energy resources and
integration of electrical energy storage systems.

Ahmed Al-Durra received his PhD in

ECE from Ohio State University in 2010.
He is a Professor in the EECS Department
at Khalifa University, UAE. His research
interests are applications of control and
estimation theory on power systems
stability, micro and smart grids, renewable
energy systems and integration, and
process control. He has one US patent, one edited book, 12 book
chapters, and over 220 scientific articles in top-tier journals and
refereed international conference proceedings. He has
supervised/co-supervised over 30 PhD/Master students. He is
leading the Energy Systems Control & Optimization Lab under
the Advanced Power & Energy Center, an Editor for IEEE
Transactions on Sustainable Energy and IEEE Power
Engineering Letters, and Associate Editor for IEEE
Transactions on Industry Applications, IET Renewable Power
Generation, and Frontiers in Energy Research.

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