Grid-Forming Converters in Future Power Grids

Dear Colleagues,

With the transition toward sustainable and clean energy supply, future power grids will undergo a big change. In line with this transition, renewable energy sources (RESs) are predominantly interfaced to power grids through power–electronic converters. As these green energy sources are replacing conventional generation units characterized by rotating masses, the power system will be faced with several challenges. These include instability due to converter interactions, reduced overall system inertia and reduced short circuit capability, among others. To address these challenges, grid-forming converter control strategies with a focus on implementing functionalities such as inertia and frequency support, black-start, synchronization and fault-ride, have been attracting attention in the literature in recent years. Some efforts have also been made in ensuring passive behavior for grid-forming converter systems to reduce resonance interactions at low- and high-frequency intervals. In addition, the research community and system operators are continuously discussing new grid codes where grid-connected converters must comply with increased stability and reliability, thus adding to the challenges in the development of grid-forming converters.  

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the design, modeling, application and control of grid-forming converters. Hence, I invite researchers and industry experts to contribute to research papers and review articles on the subject.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Control and modeling of grid-forming converter-based systems;
• Impact of grid-forming converters on distribution and transmission systems;
• Stability analysis of grid-forming converters and their impact on the power system;
• Provision of ancillary services by grid-forming converters;
• Power oscillation damping via grid-forming converters;
• Power quality and grid code compliance of grid-forming converters;
• Hardware requirements for grid-forming converters;
• Control and coordination of grid-forming converter-dominated power systems;
• Benefits of grid-forming converters for the grid integration of renewable energy sources;
• Analysis and evaluation of grid-forming and grid-following control strategies for converters;
• Comparative analysis and evaluation of  various grid-forming control alternatives;
• Implementation, field deployment and demos of utility-scale grid-forming power converters;
• Evaluation of current limitation strategies in grid-forming converters;
• Analysis of synchronization angle stability of grid-forming converters;
• Impedance shaping of grid-forming converters to reduce the risk of instability due to control interactions;
• Application of grid-forming converters in microgrids and islanded networks.

Dr. Mebtu Beza
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• control interaction
• grid-forming control
• passivity
• stability analysis
• synchronization
• angle stability
• current limitation
• inertia support
• renewable energy