WiSE - a satellite-based system for remote monitoring

The research described here is supported by the award made by the RCUK Digital Economy programme to the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub, reference: EP/G066051/1. URL: http://www.dotrural.ac.uk/WiSE/.The authors thank Dr Rene Van der Wal for his support during the project. The authors also acknowledge the partnership with James Hutton Institute (JHI), Aberdeen, and thank Dr Scott Newey and Dr Justin Irvine for their contribution.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A DC-DC Step-Up mu-Power Converter for Energy Harvesting Applications, Using Maximum Power PointTracking, Based on Fractional Open Circuit Voltage

A DC-DC step-up micro power converter for solar energy harvesting applications is presented. The circuit is based on a switched-capacitorvoltage tripler architecture with MOSFET capacitors, which results in an, area approximately eight times smaller than using MiM capacitors for the 0.131mu m CMOS technology. In order to compensate for the loss of efficiency, due to the larger parasitic capacitances, a charge reutilization scheme is employed. The circuit is self-clocked, using a phase controller designed specifically to work with an amorphous silicon solar cell, in order to obtain themaximum available power from the cell. This will be done by tracking its maximum power point (MPPT) using the fractional open circuit voltage method. Electrical simulations of the circuit, together with an equivalent electrical model of an amorphous silicon solar cell, show that the circuit can deliver apower of 1132 mu W to the load, corresponding to a maximum efficiency of 66.81%

Sinteza backstepping regulatora za praćenje maksimalne proizvodnje energije u fotonaponskim sustavima

This work presents a new control method to track the maximum power point of a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system. A backstepping controller is designed to be applied to a buck-boost DC-DC converter in order to achieve an optimal PV array output voltage. This nonlinear control is based on Lyapunov functions assuring the local stability of the system. Control reference voltages are initially estimated by a regression plane, avoiding local maximum and adjusted with a modified perturb and observe method (P&O). Thus, the maximum power extraction of the generating system is guaranteed. Finally, a DC-AC converter is controlled to supply AC current in the point of common coupling (PCC) of the electrical network. The performance of the developed system has been analyzed by means a simulation platform in Matlab/Simulink helped by SymPowerSystem Blockset. Results testify the validity of the designed control method.Ovaj rad predstavlja novu metodu upravljanja za slije.enje točke maksimalne snage fotonaponskog (PV) sustava. Dana je sinteza backstepping regulatora za primjenu u silazno-uzlaznom DC-DC pretvaraču za postizanje optimalnog izlaznog napona PV-a. Ova je nelinearna metoda upravljanja zasnovana na Ljapunovim funkcijama osiguravajući tako lokalnu stabilnost sustava. Upravljačke reference napona prvo su estimirane korištenjem regresijske ravnine izbjegavajući lokalne maksimume, a zatim podešene tzv. modificiranom perturbiraj i uoči metodom (P&O). Prema tome, zagarantirano je maksimalno izvlačenje energije iz sustava proizvodnje. Naposlijetku, DC-AC pretvaračem upravlja se na način da osigurava željena izmjenična struja u točki zajedničkog spoja (PCC) elektroenergetske mreže. Ponašanje razvijenog sustava analizirano je kroz simulacije provedene u Matlab/Simulink okruženju uz korištenje SymPowerSystem biblioteke

Apparatus for Converting Direct Current to Alternating Current using Multiple Converters

An inverter for converting an input direct current (DC) waveform from a DC source to an output alternating current (AC) waveform for delivery to an AC grid includes an input converter, an output converter, and an active filter, each of which is electrically coupled to a bus. The bus may be a DC bus or an AC bus. The input converter is configured to convert the input DC waveform to a DC or AC bus waveform. The output converter is configured to convert the bus waveform to the output AC waveform at a grid frequency. The active filter is configured to reduce a double-frequency ripple power of the bus waveform by supplying power to and absorbing power from the power bus

Apparatus and Method for Controlling DC-AC Power Conversion

An apparatus and method for controlling the delivery of power from a DC source to an AC grid includes an inverter configured to deliver power from the unipolar input source to the AC grid and an inverter controller. The inverter includes an input converter, an active filter, and an output converter. The inverter controller includes an input converter controller, an active filter controller and an output converter controller. The input converter controller is configured to control a current delivered by the input converter to a galvanically isolated unipolar bus of the inverter. The output converter is configured to control the output converter to deliver power to the AC grid. Additionally, the active filter controller is configured to control the active filter to supply substantially all the power that is deliver by the output controller to the AC grid at a grid frequency

Dynamic modeling of DC-DC converters with peak current control in double-stage photovoltaic grid-connected inverters

In photovoltaic (PV) double-stage grid-connected inverters a high-frequency DC-DC isolation and voltage step-up stage is commonly used between the panel and the grid-connected inverter. This paper is focused on the modeling and control design of DC-DC converters with Peak Current mode Control (PCC) and an external control loop of the PV panel voltage, which works following a voltage reference provided by a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm. In the proposed overall control structure the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is regulated by the grid-connected inverter. Therefore, the inverter may be considered as a constant voltage load for the development of the small-signal model of the DC-DC converter, whereas the PV panel is considered as a negative resistance. The sensitivity of the control loops to variations of the power extracted from the PV panel and of its voltage is studied. The theoretical analysis is corroborated by frequency response measurements on a 230 W experimental inverter working from a single PV panel. The inverter is based on a Flyback DC-DC converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) followed by a PWM full-bridge single-phase inverter. The time response of the whole system (DC-DC + inverter) is also shown to validate the concept. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. In photovoltaic (PV) double-stage gridconnected inverters a high-frequency DC-DC isolation and voltage step-up stage is commonly used between the panel and the grid-connected inverter. This paper is focused on the modeling and control design of DC-DC converters with Peak Current mode Control (PCC) and an external control loop of the PV panel voltage, which works following a voltage reference provided by a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm. The sensitivity of the control loops to variations of the power extracted from the PV panel and of its voltage is studied. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) under grant ENE2009-13998-C02-02. The company AUSTRIAMICROSYSTEMS co-financed this project.Garcerá Sanfeliú, G.; González Medina, R.; Figueres Amorós, E.; Sandía Paredes, J. (2012). Dynamic modeling of DC-DC converters with peak current control in double-stage photovoltaic grid-connected inverters. International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications. 40(8):793-813. https://doi.org/10.1002/cta.756S793813408Carrasco, J. M., Franquelo, L. G., Bialasiewicz, J. T., Galvan, E., PortilloGuisado, R. C., Prats, M. A. M., … Moreno-Alfonso, N. (2006). Power-Electronic Systems for the Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Sources: A Survey. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 53(4), 1002-1016. doi:10.1109/tie.2006.878356Kjaer, S. B., Pedersen, J. K., & Blaabjerg, F. (2005). A Review of Single-Phase Grid-Connected Inverters for Photovoltaic Modules. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 41(5), 1292-1306. doi:10.1109/tia.2005.853371Ridley, R. B. (1991). A new, continuous-time model for current-mode control (power convertors). IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 6(2), 271-280. doi:10.1109/63.76813Femia, N., Petrone, G., Spagnuolo, G., & Vitelli, M. (2005). Optimization of Perturb and Observe Maximum Power Point Tracking Method. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 20(4), 963-973. doi:10.1109/tpel.2005.850975Hua, C., & Lin, J. (2004). A modified tracking algorithm for maximum power tracking of solar array. Energy Conversion and Management, 45(6), 911-925. doi:10.1016/s0196-8904(03)00193-6Tan, Y. T., Kirschen, D. S., & Jenkins, N. (2004). A Model of PV Generation Suitable for Stability Analysis. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, 19(4), 748-755. doi:10.1109/tec.2004.827707Femia, N., Petrone, G., Spagnuolo, G., & Vitelli, M. (2009). A Technique for Improving P&O MPPT Performances of Double-Stage Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 56(11), 4473-4482. doi:10.1109/tie.2009.2029589Chiu, H.-J., Huang, H.-M., Yang, H.-T., & Cheng, S.-J. (2008). An improved single-stage Flyback PFC converter for high-luminance lighting LED lamps. International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications, 36(2), 205-210. doi:10.1002/cta.404Chiu, H.-J., Yao, C.-J., & Lo, Y.-K. (2009). A DC/DC converter topology for renewable energy systems. International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications, 37(3), 485-495. doi:10.1002/cta.475Martins DC Demonti R Photovoltaic Energy Processing for Utility Connected System 1292 1296 10.1109/IECON.2001.975968www.focus.ti.com/lit/ml/slup127/slup127.pdf2003 http://www.fairchildsemi.comEsram, T., & Chapman, P. L. (2007). Comparison of Photovoltaic Array Maximum Power Point Tracking Techniques. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, 22(2), 439-449. doi:10.1109/tec.2006.874230Liserre, M., Blaabjerg, F., & Hansen, S. (2005). Design and Control of an LCL-Filter-Based Three-Phase Active Rectifier. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 41(5), 1281-1291. doi:10.1109/tia.2005.853373Liserre, M., Teodorescu, R., & Blaabjerg, F. (2006). Stability of photovoltaic and wind turbine grid-connected inverters for a large set of grid impedance values. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 21(1), 263-272. doi:10.1109/tpel.2005.861185Figueres, E., Garcera, G., Sandia, J., Gonzalez-Espin, F., & Rubio, J. C. (2009). Sensitivity Study of the Dynamics of Three-Phase Photovoltaic Inverters With an LCL Grid Filter. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 56(3), 706-717. doi:10.1109/tie.2008.2010175Ciobotaru M Teodorescu R Blaabjerg F Control of single-stage single-phase PV inverter P.1 P.10 10.1109/EPE.2005.219501Zmood, D. N., & Holmes, D. G. (2003). Stationary frame current regulation of PWM inverters with zero steady-state error. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 18(3), 814-822. doi:10.1109/tpel.2003.810852Castilla, M., Miret, J., Matas, J., Garcia de Vicuna, L., & Guerrero, J. M. (2009). Control Design Guidelines for Single-Phase Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Inverters With Damped Resonant Harmonic Compensators. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 56(11), 4492-4501. doi:10.1109/tie.2009.2017820Timbus A Teodorescu R Blaabjerg F Liserre M Synchronization methods for three phase distributed power generation systems 2474 2481 10.1109/PESC.2005.1581980Vorperian, V. (1990). Simplified analysis of PWM converters using model of PWM switch. II. Discontinuous conduction mode. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 26(3), 497-505. doi:10.1109/7.106127Reatti A Balzani M PWM switch model of a buck-boost converter operated under discontinuous conduction mode 667 670 10.1109/MWSCAS.2005.1594189Reatti, A., & Kazimierczuk, M. K. (2003). Small-signal model of PWM converters for discontinuous conduction mode and its application for boost converter. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications, 50(1), 65-73. doi:10.1109/tcsi.2002.805709Lin, B.-R., Huang, C.-L., & Li, M.-Y. (2009). Novel interleaved ZVS converter with ripple current cancellation. International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications, 37(3), 413-431. doi:10.1002/cta.480MIDDLEBROOK, R. D. (1975). Measurement of loop gain in feedback systems†. International Journal of Electronics, 38(4), 485-512. doi:10.1080/0020721750892042

Power electronics converters for an electric vehicle fast charging station with storage capability

Fast charging stations are a key element for the wide spreading of Electric Vehicles (EVs) by reducing the charging time to a range between 20 to 40 min. However, the integration of fast charging stations causes some adverse impacts on the Power Grid (PG), namely by the huge increase in the peak demand during short periods of time. This paper addresses the design of the power electronics converters for an EV DC fast charging station with local storage capability and easy interface of renewables. In the proposed topology, the energy storage capability is used to smooth the peak power demand, inherent to fast charging systems, and contributes to the stability of the PG. When integrated in a Smart Grid, the proposed topology may even return some of the stored energy back to the power grid, when necessary. The accomplishment of the aforementioned objectives requires a set of different power electronics converters that are described and discussed in this paper.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and by FCT within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013. This work is financed by the ERDF – COMPETE 2020 Programme, and FCT within project SAICTPAC/0004/2015‐POCI‐01‐0145–FEDER‐016434 and FCT within project PTDC/EEI-EEE/28813/2017. Mr. Luis A. M. Barros is supported by the doctoral scholarship PD/BD/143006/2018 granted by the Portuguese FCT agency. Mr. Tiago Sousa is supported by the doctoral scholarship SFRH/BD/134353/2017 granted by the Portuguese FCT agency