COORDINATED FREQUENCY SUPPORT OF GRID FORMING AND GRID FOLLOWING CONVERTER CLUSTERS

Authors

  • Zhu Tong (Corresponding Author) Zhuhai Power Supply Bureau of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China.
  • ShiYang Yue Zhuhai Power Supply Bureau of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China.
  • ZheYan Zhong Zhuhai Power Supply Bureau of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China.
  • XiangYang Su National Institute of Guangdong Advanced Energy Storage Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510410, Guangdong, China.
  • KaiQing Liang National Institute of Guangdong Advanced Energy Storage Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510410, Guangdong, China.
  • LiChen Yang National Institute of Guangdong Advanced Energy Storage Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510410, Guangdong, China.

Keywords:

Grid-forming converter, Grid-following converter, Frequency support, Battery energy storage, Coordinated control

Abstract

High penetration of inverter-interfaced renewable generation reduces the equivalent inertia of power systems and increases the need for fast frequency support from power-electronic resources. Grid-forming (GFM) converters can provide virtual-inertia and droop responses, whereas grid-following (GFL) converters can contribute additional active power through frequency-dependent control but exhibit different synchronization and response dynamics. This paper develops a reduced-order model for coordinated frequency support of a GFM battery energy storage system (GFM-BESS) cluster and a GFL renewable energy source (GFL-RES) cluster. Particle swarm optimization is used to coordinate the virtual-inertia coefficient and the GFM/GFL active-power support gains. Three strategies, namely Conventional, GFM-only, and Proposed, are compared under a 10 MW load disturbance. Relative to Conventional control, the Proposed strategy reduces the maximum frequency deviation from 0.6084 Hz to 0.4556 Hz and the maximum RoCoF from 0.8331 Hz/s to 0.5188 Hz/s, corresponding to reductions of 25.1% and 37.7%, respectively. Compared with GFM-only control, it reduces the peak GFM support by 18.0% while the GFL cluster provides 2.366 MW of peak support. The results indicate that coordinated GFM/GFL control can improve transient frequency performance while distributing short-term support more effectively between converter clusters.

References

[1] Valikhany Mina, Astero Poria, Lehtonen Matti, et al. A review on the suitability of virtual inertia strategies for the next generation of low-inertia power systems. e-Prime - Advances in Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Energy, 2025, 14: 101131. DOI: 10.1016/j.prime.2025.101131.

[2] Li Yalou, Zhao Fei, Fan Xuejun. Review of Grid-Forming Energy Storage and Its Applications. Power Generation Technology, 2025, 46(2): 386-398. DOI: 10.12096/j.2096-4528.pgt.24052.

[3] Guzman Gilberto, Madrigal Manuel, Melgoza-Vazquez Enrique. Grid-Forming Inverters for Frequency Support in Power Grids. Electricity, 2025, 6(4): 65. DOI: 10.3390/electricity6040065.

[4] Liu Hui, Yu Siqi, Sun Dawei, et al. An Overview of Control Technologies and Principles for Grid-forming Converters. Proceedings of the CSEE, 2025, 45(1): 277-297. DOI: 10.13334/j.0258-8013.pcsee.232479.

[5] Wang Guanqi, Pei Wei, Xiong Jiawang, et al. Stability Analysis Method for Hybrid Systems of Grid-following and Grid-forming Inverters. Proceedings of the CSEE, 2025, 45(1): 25-37. DOI: 10.13334/j.0258-8013.pcsee.240374.

[6] Wang Zhen, Shan Yu, Zhu Yue, et al. Spatio-Temporal Frequency Distribution Analysis in Systems With Grid-Forming and Grid-Following Inverters: A New Perspective From Frequency Domain. IEEE Access, 2025, 13: 87999-88011. DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3571481.

[7] Mohammed Nabil, Ahmed Shehab, Konstantinou Charalambos. Comparative frequency- and time-domain analysis of four grid-forming inverters: Droop, VSM, matching, and dVOC. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 2025, 172: 111302. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijepes.2025.111302.

[8] Liu Zunzhu, Cheng Zhijiang, Wang Weiqing, et al. Active frequency support control strategy for grid-forming direct-drive wind turbines. Electric Power Engineering Technology, 2025, 44(2): 23-33. DOI: 10.12158/j.2096-3203.2025.02.003.

[9] Wang Weiyu, Wu Gongping, Ke Fei, et al. A power disturbance observer-based sliding mode frequency controller for grid-forming converters. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 2025, 170: 110696. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijepes.2025.110696.

[10] Ndirangu Julius, Nderu John, Irungu George. Adaptive Grid-Forming Controller With Virtual Inertia and Damping for Enhanced Frequency Stability in Renewable Energy Systems. Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2026, 2026: 4351705. DOI: 10.1155/jece/4351705.

[11] Yu Hengning, Yao Liangzhong, Liang Shuai, et al. Coordinated control of grid-following and grid-forming energy storage for virtual inertia response considering frequency modal characteristics. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 2025, 168: 110686. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijepes.2025.110686.

[12] Zong Qihang, Yao Wei, Zhou Hongyu, et al. Hierarchical optimal frequency support scheme of wind farm with both grid-forming and grid-following wind turbines. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 2025, 165: 110463. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijepes.2025.110463.

[13] Wei Che, Pei Wei, Qiu Yinfeng, et al. A co-configuration method of grid-forming/grid-following energy storage for grid frequency support and wind power consumption in offshore oil and gas fields. Advanced Technology of Electrical Engineering and Energy, 2025, 44(11): 58-71. DOI: 10.12067/ATEEE2501020.

[14] Wang Xiaoyang, Chen Xin. Distributed Coordination of Grid-Forming and Grid-Following Inverters for Optimal Frequency Control in Power Systems. IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, 2026, 41(5): 3831-3846. DOI: 10.1109/TPWRS.2026.3684791.

Downloads

Published

2026-09-16

Issue

Section

Research Article

DOI:

How to Cite

Zhu Tong, ShiYang Yue, ZheYan Zhong, XiangYang Su, KaiQing Liang, LiChen Yang. Coordinated Frequency Support Of Grid Forming And Grid Following Converter Clusters. World Journal of Engineering Research. 2026, 4(7): 1-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/wjer3128.