A new modulation-demodulation approach to DC power-line data transmission for SRG-integrated microgrid

Switched reluctance generators (SRGs) possess a range of advantages, such as simple structure, good heat dissipation, high fault tolerance, which have thus been applied to wind power generation systems and other distributed generators. In order to maximize SRG performances, stable and reliable communication is essential to facilitate system monitoring, fault detection and energy management system development. In this study, we propose a new modulation-demodulation strategy to realize effective power-line communication (PLC) between SRG and other converters in an inverter-interfaced distributed power grid. The newly designed modulation method utilizes and controls the turn-on/off angle (TOA) of an SRG, so as to modulate the voltage ripples to convey information to the receiving end. An innovated demodulation method is also devised in this paper, using maximum entropy spectrum estimation (MESE) method, for the purpose of acquiring useful signals from the sending end. Vigorous experimentation is conducted, which verify the functionality of the proposed TOA-MESE modulation-demodulation method for data transmission between SRG and other converter-based installations.