Explicit Stability Assessment of High-Power Inverter With Model Predictive Control in Offshore Wind Farm

The high-power grid-connected inverter (GCI) plays a key role in integrating wind power generation. The finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) has emerged as a promising high-performance control strategy for this class of power converters. However, practical stability assessment of GCI with MPC has not been fully addressed. This article investigates the stability of high-power GCI controlled by MPC and its application in offshore wind farm. The frequency scan technique is employed to derive the impedance characteristic of MPC-enabled inverter. Then, effects of MPC parameters and operating conditions on passivity are investigated. The proposed control strategy is validated and compared with classical PI-based control within Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm. Simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) verification are both implemented. The employed HiL setup integrates <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">dSPACE DS1006 and PLECS RT Box 1</i>, providing a versatile real-time testing platform for independent validation of the controller and plant model. The study findings show that MPC strategy can effectively mitigate oscillation phenomena and enhance stability of offshore wind farm under weak grid conditions. Hence, the proposed MPC strategy is a promising solution to promote penetration of offshore wind power generation into power system.