Comparison of Active Damping Methods for Grid-Forming Voltage-Source Converters

Active damping is crucial for the stable operation and dynamic performance of grid-forming (GFM) voltage source converters (VSCs). This paper presents a comparative analysis of active damping methods used in the synchronization control of GFM-VSCs. These methods are classified into frequency-difference-based, active-power-based, and <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$q$</tex>-axis-voltage-based damping approaches. The comparison is based on three key metrics: reference tracking performance, inertial response capability, and stability impact. The advantages and drawbacks of each approach are analyzed, and practical design guidelines are proposed, including hybrid configurations that integrate power and voltage feedforward strategies. The effectiveness of the comparative evaluation is validated through both simulation and experimental results.