An improved utility interface for microturbine generation system with stand-alone operation capabilities

In this paper, an alternative filter and control approach for the design of a microturbine's utility interface is proposed. The new method employs a unified current-regulated controller to drive the system converter as a power conditioner for the grid-tied operation and an emergent generator for the stand-alone operation, where few current sensors are required to serve the controller for both operating modes. The proposed method had been examined under various scenarios, including the loss of grid and parallel operation. The results help consolidate the feasibility and practicability of the approach for the applications considered.