A novel application of multifunctional inverters to enhance power quality of smart microgrids: an analysis on a low voltage and four-wire grid

This paper presents a multifunctional inverter model whose control system uses the instantaneous powers theory to mitigate the harmonic current content of a local load and provide active and reactive power to the grid. This inverter is connected to an unbalanced four-wire low voltage distribution network. In order to verify the improvement of the power quality with this inverter, two scenarios were simulated. In both scenarios, non-linear loads and the multifunctional inverter are connected to smart microgrid. In the first scenario, the smart microgrid is connected to the main MV grid and in the second scenario, the system operates as an islanded microgrid. In all cases, a significant enhance in the power quality indexes was observed, and compliance with international current standards was achieved.