Power electronics toward the era of distributed generations

The role of distributed generations such as photovoltaic, wind-turbines, co-generations are getting more and more important in power systems. Moreover, energy storages such as chemical batteries, electric double layer capacitors and superconducting magnets will play an important role in power systems in near future in order to match supply and demand of electric power. Under such circumstances, power electronics will become an extremely important key technology. Researches on dc microgrids, a frequency converter using matrix converter for house hold type gas engine cogeneration system, virtual synchronous generator, and power system stabilization by HVDC with SMES are overviewed in this paper.