Remote and Centralized Monitoring of PV Power Plants

This paper presents the concept and operating principles of a low-cost and flexible monitoring system for PV plants. Compared to classical solutions which can require dedicated hardware and/or specialized data logging systems, the monitoring system we propose allows parallel monitoring of PV plants with different architectures and locations by taking advantage of the intrinsic monitoring capabilities of the inverters and their internet connectivity. The backbone of the system is a software system capable of collecting production measurements and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curve measurements from the inverters within each PV plant. The monitoring software stores the PV measurements in a data warehouse optimized for managing and data mining large amounts of data, from where it can be later visualized, analyzed and exported. By combining PV production measurements data with I-V curve measurements the diagnostic and condition monitoring capabilities of the PV system can be greatly enhanced. The practical implementation and operation of the monitoring system is demonstrated with a study case system deployed at Aalborg University.</p

Internal active power reserve management in Large scale PV Power Plants

Active Power Reserves (APRs) provided through curtailment (iAPRs) or through auxiliary storage systems (aAPR) with Large scale PV Power Plants (LPVPPs) becomes a reality in the near future with high penetration levels of Photovoltaic (PV) power into the grid. Therefore, this paper analyses the solutions for iAPR fulfilment in central inverter based - LPVPPs in terms of their layout, configuration and control architecture. During iAPR supply, the LPVPP has to operate under its Maximum Power Point (MPP), which means that the MPP algorithm has to undergo several changes. For this purpose, the paper proposes to supply iAPRs by means of a sweep function distributed over the PV inverters used in the central inverter station which has the potential to guarantee a maximum energy extraction along with a secured supply of the APR in any given meteorological condition

Test Platform for Photovoltaic Systems with Integrated Battery Energy Storage Applications

We present a hybrid simulation and a real-time test platform for developing control systems for photovoltaic (PV) inverters with integrated battery energy storage (BES). The platform consists of a dual-stage single-phase PV inverter system, DC coupled with a full-bridge grid connected inverter, which emulates the charge regulator and battery bank. The real-time control of the two power electronic converters is implemented in a Simulink/dSpace platform, together with the real-time simulation model of the battery pack. The input power can be provided by either a high performance PV emulator or by a physical PV array. The platform enables real-time testing of PV+textbf{{BES control systems and energy management systems (EMS), for a variety of battery technologies, which can be modelled in detail and emulated by the full-bridge grid connected inverter. Such flexibility is difficult to achieve with real BES systems, due to electrical safety and cost constrains of high power charge regulators and battery packs.</p

Experiment Based Teaching of Solar Cell Operation and Characterization Using the SolarLab Platform

Experiment based teaching methods are a great way to get students involved and interested in almost any topic. This paper presents such a hands-on approach for teaching solar cell operation principles along with characterization and modelling methods. This is achieved with the SolarLab platform which is a laboratory teaching tool developed at Transylvania University of Brasov. Using this platform, solar cells can be characterized under various illumination, temperature and angle of light incidence. Additionally, the SolarLab platform includes guided exercises and intuitive graphical user interfaces for exploring different solar cell principles and topics. The exercises presented in the current paper have been adapted from the original exercises developed for the SolarLab platform and are currently included in the Photovoltaic Power Systems courses (MSc and PhD level) taught at the Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University.<br/

Effect of Battery Degradation on the Probabilistic Optimal Operation of Renewable-Based Microgrids

In order to maximize the use of renewable-based distributed generators (DGs), in addition to dealing with the effects of the inherent power management uncertainties of microgrids (MGs), applying storage devices is essential in the electrical system. The main goal of this paper is to minimize the total operation cost as well as the emissions of MG energy resources, alongside the better utilization of renewable energy sources (RES) and energy storage systems. The uncertainties of wind speed, solar irradiation, market price and electrical load demand are modeled using reduced unscented transformation (RUT) method. Simulation results reveal that, as expected, by increasing the battery efficiency, the achievable minimum daily operational cost of the system is reduced. For example, with 93% battery efficiency, the operational cost equals EUR 9200, while for an efficiency of 97%, the achievable minimum daily operational cost is EUR 8900. Moreover, the proper economic/environmental performance of the suggested approach, which contributes to the possibility of selecting a compromise solution for the MG operator in accordance with technical and economic constraints, is justified.</p