Integrating Hydrogen Microturbine Dynamics into MPC for Advanced Microgrid Energy Management

Abstract

Hydrogen microturbines offer an attractive solution to mitigate the intermittency of wind and solar generation, positioning them as a key technology for clean and resilient modern microgrids. This work evaluates model predictive control (MPC) strategies for operating a microgrid that integrates photovoltaic generation, battery energy storage, hybrid inverters capable of charging from both solar panels and the grid, and a hydrogen-fueled gas microturbine. Two control objectives are considered: minimizing the cost of imported energy and minimizing the total imported energy. A detailed microgrid model is developed, capturing realistic operational constraints of batteries and inverters, including state-of-charge- and power-dependent charging and discharging efficiencies. A key contribution is the explicit integration of hydrogen microturbine dynamics; turbine inertia, ramp limits, and start-up/shutdown delays, into the MPC formulation. Simulation results across multiple scenarios show significant differences between control strategies and highlight how the turbine dynamics influence the selection of the most suitable MPC approach for microgrid operation.