Grid-Forming Control Strategies in Power System Management

As modern power systems transition from synchronous‐machine dominance to inverter‐based generation, grid‐forming control strategies have emerged as a cornerstone for maintaining voltage and frequency stability. Unlike grid‐following inverters that passively synchronise to an existing network, grid‐forming converters actively establish voltage phasors and provide synthetic inertia, thereby supporting weak or islanded grids. Core control architectures include droop‐based approaches, virtual synchronous machine emulation, and adaptive inertia schemes, each designed to balance power sharing, ride through fault conditions and ensure seamless mode transitions between islanded and interconnected operation. Recent advances have addressed challenges such as current limiting under severe voltage sags, adaptive response to low‐inertia microgrids and integration with high‐voltage direct current links. The global significance of these strategies is underpinned by their role in enabling high penetrations of renewable energy, enhancing resilience against grid disturbances and reducing reliance on fossil‐fuelled spinning reserves. Practical applications range from autonomous microgrid operation in remote communities to large‐scale transmission systems pursuing energy decarbonisation, highlighting the versatility and necessity of robust grid‐forming control.

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Grid-Forming Control Strategies in Power System Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in grid-forming control strategies in power system management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Grid‐forming converter: A power electronics unit that actively generates and controls voltage and frequency in an electrical network, emulating synchronous machine characteristics.

Droop control: A decentralised method that adjusts active and reactive power output in response to frequency and voltage deviations, enabling power sharing without communication.

Inertia emulation: A control feature that provides synthetic kinetic energy support to slow frequency changes, compensating for reduced mechanical inertia in inverter‐based systems.

Fault ride‐through (FRT): The ability of a converter to remain connected and support the grid during voltage dips and short‐circuit events without tripping offline.

Virtual impedance: A control technique that emulates the effect of physical impedance to improve system stability, share fault currents and damp oscillations.

References

1. Current limiting strategies for grid forming inverters under low voltage ride through. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2024).
2. Robust-Adaptive Controllers Designed for Grid-Forming Converters Ensuring Various Low-Inertia Microgrid Conditions. Smart Cities (2023).
3. Grid-Forming Converters: Control Approaches, Grid-Synchronization, and Future TrendsA Review. IEEE Open Journal of Industry Applications (2021).
4. Overview on Grid-Forming Inverter Control Methods. Energies (2020).
5. Grid Forming Converters in Renewable Energy Sources Dominated Power Grid: Control Strategy, Stability, Application, and Challenges. Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy (2021).