Nonlinear Stability of Complex Droop Control in Converter-Based Power Systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nonlinear stability of complex droop control in converter-based power systems, establishing conditions for almost global stability around non-nominal synchronous steady states, which is crucial for high-penetration converter grids.

Contribution

It extends stability analysis of complex droop control to non-nominal steady states, providing new parametric conditions for almost global asymptotic stability.

Findings

Derived conditions for existence of non-nominal steady states.

Proved almost global stability around these states.

Enhanced understanding of grid-forming control stability.

Abstract

In this letter, we study the nonlinear stability problem of converter-based power systems, where the converter dynamics are governed by a complex droop control. This complex droop control augments the well-known power-frequency (p-f) droop control, and it proves to be equivalent to the state-of-the-art dispatchable virtual oscillator control (dVOC). In this regard, it is recognized as a promising grid-forming solution to address the high penetration of converters in future power systems. In previous work, the global stability of dVOC (i.e., complex droop control) has been proven by prespecifying a nominal synchronous steady state. For a general case of non-nominal (i.e., drooped) synchronous steady states, however, the stability problem requires further investigation. In this letter, we provide parametric conditions under which a non-nominal synchronous steady state exists and the system is almost globally asymptotically stable with respect to this non-nominal synchronous steady state.