This paper addresses the challenge of integrating multiple energy sources into a single-domain microgrid, commonly found in urban buildings, while also providing a platform for energy management. A Lyapunov stability analysis of a simple boost converter was used as a basis for designing the dual control loop of the grid. The versatility of the developed control structure allows for the incorporation of an arbitrary number of sources hence achieving scalability. Next, the energy in the microgrid was separated into exogenous energy and actuator energy. This yielded a description of the system that quantified the condition of stability independent of the decision made by a would-be energy management system. This, in turns, liberates the process of designing an optimized energy management system from stability concerns. The acquired theoretical findings were then translated to a simulation model, where multiple components of the grid were simulated under a typical scenario of operation. Once the simulation phase was concluded, a prototype of the designed grid was constructed to emulate the theoretical results. The prototype exhibited promising performance, matching the simulation predictions to a reasonable degree.

The feasibility of next-generation urban power networks hinges on the ability of DC converters to replace their conventional counterpart. Reliability and efficiency are heavily contested points when discussing the challenges facing power electronics proliferation in power systems. Motivated to find a working solution, this paper presents the paradigm of the two-time scale converter. By employing a division in dynamics, interpreted from singular perturbation theory, a cost-effective redundancy can be attained in the form of complementary fast and slow subsystems. This enables the proposed converter to handle considerable perturbations with a quick response time and achieve cost-effective operation at steady state, thanks to the reduction in switching frequency. The overall controller scheme consists of an inner current control loop and an outer voltage control loop; the control laws are derived from a generic Lyapunov’s approach, which can be adapted to the characteristics of the voltage source. The simulation results demonstrated a seamless response to various types of perturbations and the proper handling of different omission fault scenarios.