Thesis defense in: “Electrical Engineering” by Mr. Boris Arnaud NOTCHUM DEFFO

The Euromed University of Fes (UEMF) is pleased to announce a public doctoral thesis defense.

The thesis defense will take place on January 15, 2026, at 03:00 p.m. at UEMF
Location: Gallery 1 Building

The thesis will be presented by Mr. Boris Arnaud NOTCHUM DEFFO

on the topic:
“Advanced Control Strategies for Frequency Stability in Microgrids with High Penetration of Renewable Energy Sources”

Abstract:

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources in isolated microgrids poses a significant challenge to frequency stability due to their intermittent nature and the system's reduced inertia. This thesis focuses on developing advanced frequency control strategies for isolated microgrids that integrate renewable sources, energy storage systems, and diesel generators, under disturbances and modeling uncertainties.

Several complementary control approaches are proposed. First, a robust sliding mode control strategy based on linear matrix inequalities is developed to guarantee asymptotic stability and strong robustness against uncertainties. To reduce computational complexity, a cascade control structure is then introduced, preserving satisfactory dynamic performance. In a third contribution, a fractional-order PID controller is designed to provide synthetic inertia, offering greater tuning flexibility and an improved transient response compared to classical controllers. These developments are finally unified in a hybrid architecture that combines SMC-LMI for secondary frequency control with a cascaded PDn–PI virtual inertia controller, achieving faster recovery, better disturbance rejection, and greater robustness.

All controllers are optimally tuned using metaheuristic optimization algorithms, which minimize standard performance indices, and their effectiveness is validated through extensive simulations in MATLAB/Simulink under various operational scenarios. Overall, the thesis contributes robust and adaptive solutions to improve frequency stability in low-inertia renewable microgrids.

The thesis will be presented before the jury members:

Role	Rank	Name	Institution
Jury President	PES	Pr. Abdellatif SAFOUANE	UEMF
Reviewer	PES	Pr. Rachid EL BACHTIRI	EST-USMBA
Reviewer	PES	Pr. Mohamed SALHI	ENSA-USMBA
Reviewer	PH	Pr. Chakib ALAOUI	UEMF
Examiner	PH	Pr. Youness EL MOURABIT	EST-USMBA
Examiner	PH	Pr. Abdelaziz FRI	EST-USMBA
Thesis Director	PES	Pr. Tijani BOUNAHMIDI	UEMF
Co-director	PA	Pr. Anass BAKOURI	UEMF