Dr. Fulong Li

Dr. Fulong Li

Ph.D., IEEE Member.
Researcher and Engineer in Power Electronics.

Loughborough University DC Microgrid Testbed

A low-voltage DC microgrid test bench was built at Loughborough University around modular interface converters, supporting grid-connected and islanded operation so that converter control and system-level power management can be studied together.

A Modular Test Bench

The test bench follows the same four-interface structure as the earlier PhD microgrid: a grid emulator, two battery banks and a PV emulator connect to the DC bus through interface converters, alongside electronic and resistive loads. A DC supply and soaking resistor emulate the grid, and a computer and instruments monitor the system.

Schematic showing grid, photovoltaic and battery interfaces connected to a common DC bus with loads
Four-interface DC microgrid configuration shared with the earlier thesis platform; a system-level reference, not a wiring diagram of this prototype.

Converter Development

The first interface converter was a 100 W bidirectional Boost converter on a 48 V bus. A second version rated at 500 W per converter followed, improving gate drive and sensing, reducing switching ringing and adding wireless communication support. Stacked power and control boards provide voltage and current sensing, gate drive and DSP-based control.

Second-version interface converter with stacked power and control boards and a group of converter modules
Second-version interface converter with stacked power and control boards, and a group of assembled modules.

The converters implement current and voltage regulation, battery charging, droop control and PV maximum-power-point tracking.

The Completed Setup

Low-voltage DC microgrid experimental bench with modular converters, batteries, instruments and computer
The complete test bench with modular converters, batteries, instruments and monitoring computer.

Hardware designs and schematics are available in the DC Microgrid Test Bench repository.

Bidirectional Buck–Boost converter · All experimental platforms · Back to Research