Adaptive Control of a PV‐Integrated Unified Power Quality Conditioner for Remote Low‐Voltage Distribution Networks

The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in low‐voltage distribution networks, driven by renewable energy integration, has introduced significant power quality (PQ) challenges due to extensive power electronic converters interfacing. This paper presents a solar photovoltaic (PV) powered unified PQ conditioner (UPQC) with an advanced adaptive control strategy based on the variable leaky least mean square (VLLMS) algorithm for simultaneous PQ improvement and distributed power management. The proposed controller enables fast extraction and decoupling of non‐ideal grid voltage and load current components without the use of low‐pass or moving‐average filters, resulting in improved convergence speed and real‐time controllability. A PV power feed‐forward term is incorporated into the shunt converter control to enhance DC‐link voltage regulation under fluctuating PV generation. Coordinated operation of the series and shunt converters ensures stable load voltage and unity power factor (UPF) at the point of common coupling (P.C.C) during grid disturbances and nonlinear loading conditions. The adaptive leakage factor based control mechanism prevents parameter drift under dynamic operating conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed PV‐UPQC is verified through MATLAB/Simulink simulations and experimental results, demonstrating superior steady‐state and transient performance compared with conventional UPQC control schemes, making it suitable for renewable‐rich distribution networks.