Next-Generation Shipboard DC Power System: Introduction Smart Grid and dc Microgrid Technologies into Maritime Electrical Networks

In recent years, more and more evidence suggests that the global energy system is on the verge of a drastic revolution. The evolutionary development in power electronic technologies, the emerging high-performance energy storage devices, as well as the ever increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) are commonly recognized as the major driven force of the revolution, the outburst of customer electronics and new kinds of household electronics is also powering this change. In this context, dc power distribution technologies have made a comeback and keep gaining a commendable increase in research interests and industrial applications. In addition, the concept of flexible and smart distribution has also been proposed, which tends to exploit distributed generation and pack the distributed RESs and local electrical loads as an independent and self-sustainable entity, namely microgrid. At present, the research of dc microgrid has investigated and developed a series of advanced methods in control, management and objective-oriented optimization, which would found the technical interface enabling the future applications in multiple industrial areas, such as smart buildings, electric vehicles, aerospace/aircraft power systems, as well as maritime power systems.