Synthesis and Integration of Future Electronic Power Distribution Systems

Future advanced electric power systems will have practically all loads interfaced to energy sources through power electronics equipment. Furthermore, all alternative, sustainable, and distributed energy sources, as well as energy storage systems, can be only connected to electric grid through power electronics converters. This will require new concepts for electronic control of all power flows in order to improve energy availability, power density, and overall energy and power efficiency in all electrical systems, from portable devices to cars, airplanes, ships, homes, data centers, and the power grid. Starting from the example of a computer power system, the paper contemplates possible future ac and dc electronic power system architectures, which fully decouple the dynamics between sources, distribution system, and loads by using separate source-, load-, and distribution-converters. Several ideas and possible methodologies for modeling, analysis, and system-level design of such systems, including power flow control, protection, stability, and subsystem interactions, are presented.