Space Microgrids: New Concepts on Electric Power Systems for Satellites

The electric power systems (EPSs) are of a paramount importance in satellites. These systems are responsible for power generation, storage, delivery, and conditioning. A failure in an EPS may hinder all the aforementioned functionalities, which consequently, leads to a failure of the whole space mission. There are many technologies available in both industry and literature of EPSs, where each has its own fault tolerance capabilities. On the other hand, the efficiency of the EPS is an important factor, which promotes having higher power reserve; thus, feeding the payloads at all needed times. In this paper, the EPS for Satellites-based microgrids are reviewed with more focus on their energy generation and storage, including their protection schemes. Moreover, sizing guidelines for the energy generation and storage systems are also provided.