When Can Phasor-Domain Device Models Be Trusted for Electromechanical Stability Analysis of Grid-Forming Converter-Dominated Microgrids?

Abstract

Grid-forming (GFM) converter-dominated microgrids are often analyzed using reduced-order phasor-domain electromechanical GFM models, but the validity of these models is often taken for granted. Assuming ideal inner-loop tracking (IILT) of terminal-voltage references, these models neglect the inner-loop and filter dynamics at the electromagnetic-transient (EMT) timescale to simplify stability analysis. This paper argues that such neglected dynamics can destabilize the system, invalidating the stability conclusions drawn from the IILT model. To address this cross-timescale stability issue, we formulate the validity of the IILT stability conclusion as a robust-stability certification problem. The EMT-induced model mismatch between the reduced-order converter model and the actual converter model is represented as a structured uncertainty embedded around the IILT feedback loop. This yields a frequency-resolved interaction index and a structured singular-value sufficient certificate for determining when the stability conclusion of the IILT model can be certified with respect to a prescribed EMT uncertainty weight. The uncertainty weight can be obtained from detailed EMT models or terminal reference-response measurements. Case studies confirm that the proposed certificate correctly certifies model validity and identifies the loss of trustworthiness. We also demonstrate that the measurement-based uncertainty weights closely match the model-based ones, which enables deployment without accessing inner-loop models.