XXXIII Seminario Anual de Automática, Electrónica industrial e Instrumentación - SAAEI 2026, Gijon (Spain). 08-10 July 2026
Summary:
The increasing penetration of inverter-based resources reduces system inertia, increasing the sensitivity of system frequency to power imbalances and potentially leading to higher rates of change of frequency (RoCoF) during disturbances. Nowadays, grid-forming (GFM) converter control strategies are being required to provide inertial support in low-inertia networks. Very often these strategies imitate the behaviour of a synchronous machine (virtual synchronous machines, or VSMs). This paper compares the dynamic behaviour of three approaches to a VSM using electromagnetic transient simulations of a converter connected to an infinite bus: (a) a virtual synchronous machine with a phase-locked loop (VSM-PLL), (b) an integral–proportional (IP) control, and (c) a virtual synchronous machine with a washout filter (VSM-washout). The inertial active-power response of these strategies is evaluated under severe frequency ramp conditions within the operational capability limits of the generation unit. The results show that IP and VSM-PLL provide effective inertial support without compromising stability, whereas VSM-washout exhibits higher sensitivity to parameter tuning, leading to a less favorable trade-off between inertial power injection and damping.
Spanish layman's summary:
Este artículo analiza diferentes formas de control de convertidores electrónicos fuente de tensión formadores de red, en un contexto de rápidos cambios de frecuencia. Se ha prestado especial atención a su estabilidad y a su capacidad de reforzar la inercia del sistema eléctrico.
English layman's summary:
This paper analyses several grid-forming converter controls under fast frequency changes. The evaluation focuses on stability and effective inertia support.
Keywords: Grid-forming, virtual synchronous machine, rate-of-change-of-frequency (RoCoF), virtual inertia
Publication date: 08-Jul-2026.
Citation:
Ch. Wagh, R. Ávila-Martínez, L. Rouco, X. Guillaud, A. García-Cerrada, "Dynamic Analysis of Grid-Forming Control Strategies under High RoCoF Conditions", presented at XXXIII Seminario Anual de Automática, Electrónica industrial e Instrumentación - SAAEI 2026, Gijon, Spain, 08-10 July 2026
IIT-26-117C
