Enhancing Power Quality in Grid-Connected Fuel Cell Systems Using the Gradient-Based Optimizer

Recent studies on Energy Management Systems (EMS) have focused on enhancing fuel cellintegrated grid systems. Effective power electronics control strategies for such systems should be easy to implement, capable of minimizing harmonic distortion, and robust under weak grid conditions. However, weak grids present significant challenges, including elevated Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), voltage fluctuations, harmonics from nonlinear loads, and frequency deviations. To address these issues, this paper proposes advanced EMS control strategies optimized using the Gradient-Based Optimized-Proportional Integral (GBO-PI) controller for fuel cell-integrated microgrid systems. The performance of the proposed GBOPI controller is assessed using two analytical frameworks: THD, convergence analyses, and the transient response of the Direct Current (DC) link voltage under both fixed and variable load conditions. This algorithm has optimized advanced control strategies for EMS in fuel cell-integrated grid systems to enhance the DC link voltage, improving transient response and power quality. The proposed method yields a THD of 0.60%. Moreover, the GBO-PI outperformed other recently developed algorithms by a large margin in terms of settling time and overshoot. The findings demonstrate that the proposed control strategy can enhance fuel cell microgrid integration by improving robustness and sustainability, while effectively managing dynamic load variations and ensuring stable power injection into the electrical grid.