Photovoltaic solar system connected to the electric power grid operating as active power generator and reactive power compensator

In the case of photovoltaic (PV) systems acting as distributed generation (DG) systems, the DC energy that is produced is fed to the grid through the power-conditioning unit (inverter). The majority of contemporary inverters used in DG systems are current source inverters (CSI) operating at unity power factor. If, however, we assume that voltage source inverters (VSI) can replace CSIs, we can generate reactive power proportionally to the remaining unused capacity at any given time. According to the theory of instantaneous power, the inverter reactive power can be regulated by changing the amplitude of its output voltage. In addition, the inverter active power can be adjusted by modifying the phase angle of its output voltage. Based on such theory, both the active power supply and the reactive power compensation (RPC) can be carried out simultaneously. When the insolation is weak or the PV modules are inoperative at night, the RPC feature of a PV system can still be used to improve the inverter utilisation factor. Some MATLAB simulation results are included here to show the feasibility of the method.     

不平衡电网电压下T型三电平光伏并网逆变器的有限集模型预测控制

为实现电网电压不平衡时对T型三电平光伏并网系统输出功率和电流质量的控制,以达到入网功率平稳或电流正弦为控制目标,结合光伏阵列输出功率前馈,在两相静止坐标系下提出一种直流母线电压外环PI控制、并网电流内环有限集模型预测控制的控制策略,并在电压外环中引入2倍频陷波器以获得平滑的入网功率参考值。仿真结果表明:当电网电压不对称时,采用所提控制策略能够实现对入网有功、无功功率2倍频脉动及负序电流的分别抑制或协调控制,且并网电流谐波畸变小、入网电能质量高,同时实现T型三电平逆变器的中点电位平衡。     

Effects of low radiation on the power quality of a distributed PV-grid connected system

We have previously investigated effects of radiation levels on power quality of a number PV-grid interactive systems in Thailand, in terms of harmonics and voltage variation at the point of common coupling (PCC). In this paper, we focus on the nature of components of complex power (actual, reactive and apparent power) of inverter output of a PV-grid interactive system due to low radiation, below 400 W/m². The system being investigated has an array of 4.2 kWp and representative of roof top units. It is observed that a PV array supplies increasing real power, in magnitude and as percentage of complex power, at high values of radiation. At low radiation level when the array does not provide enough output power, reactive power is drawn from distribution transformer and fed into an inverter and loads. Based on results from the test site and long term radiation data of Bangkok, we then estimate energy available from low radiation from a hypothetical PV-grid interactive unit in Bangkok of a similar size. It can be seen that for a tropical climate like Thailand a significant amount of energy, 20–30% of radiation energy, is in the form of reactive power. Methods must be devised to capture this low radiation energy and converted into real power form.     

运用虚拟同步机技术的新型兆瓦级光-储并网结构

提出一种新型的VSG光-储分布式发电系统结构,该方案在传统光-储并网发电系统的逆变器后端另外添置了一套储能电池。这样不但可提高光伏组件的工作效率,避免光伏出力变化对系统频率造成影响,而且还可根据电网负荷的异常波动情况及时有效地输出有功及无功功率,达到稳定电网频率、电压的作用。系统的动态分析及仿真结果证明了该新型光-储并网发电系统结构能够实现新能源并网的目标与要求。     

A high power quality anti-islanding method using effective power variation

Islanding phenomenon is undesirable because it leads to a safety hazard to utility service personnel and may cause damage to power generation and power supply facilities as a result of unsynchronized re-closure. In order to prevent the phenomenon, various anti-islanding methods have been studied. Until now, frequency or start phase shift methods of inverter current have much attention as active anti-islanding methods, which cause reactive power variation to the utility. However, these methods deteriorate usually the power quality like power factor or harmonic performance. This paper proposes a high power quality active anti-islanding method using effective power variation, which is implemented by periodically increasing/decreasing variation of inverter current magnitude. If it causes the large variation of inverter output voltage after islanding, active frequency drift (AFD) method as a simple anti-islanding method will be injected into the inverter current for a designed period and islanding can be detected. In case of large voltage variation when the grid is connected, AFD method will be removed after the designed period. Unlike most active anti-islanding method deteriorating power quality, the proposed method will have high performance of islanding detection and good power quality. For the verification of the proposed method, simulated results and experimental results in addition to analysis are presented using a 3 kW PV inverter.     

A grid-connected photovoltaic power conversion system with single-phase multilevel inverter

This paper presents a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) power conversion system based on a single-phase multilevel inverter. The proposed system fundamentally consists of PV arrays and a single-phase multilevel inverter structure. First, configuration and structural parts of the PV assisted inverter system are introduced in detail. To produce reference output voltage waves, a simple switching strategy based on calculating switching angles is improved. By calculated switching angles, the reference signal is produced as a multilevel shaped output voltage wave. The control algorithm and operational principles of the proposed system are explained. Operating PV arrays in the same load condition is a considerable point; therefore a simulation study is performed to arrange the PV arrays. After determining the number and connection types of the PV arrays, the system is configured through the arrangement of the PV arrays. The validity of the proposed system is verified through simulations and experimental study. The results demonstrate that the system can achieve lower total harmonic distortion (THD) on the output voltage and load current, and it is capable of operating synchronous and transferring power values having different characteristic to the grid. Hence, it is suitable to use the proposed configuration as a PV power conversion system in various applications.     

新型H6拓扑无隔离单相光伏并网逆变器研究

与带隔离变压器相比,无隔离变压器的光伏并网逆变器成本低、体积小、效率高,但无隔离光伏并网系统的漏电流将影响系统的安全运行,必须进行有效抑制,同时逆变器应具有向电网提供无功功率的能力。对此提出了一种新型的H6拓扑单相并网逆变器,该拓扑能有效抑制漏电流,且能向电网输出无功功率,采用单极性调制策略,输出电压具有三电平特性。基于对拓扑结构、工作过程及无功功率控制的详细分析,建立了Matlab/Simulink仿真模型验证理论分析的正确性,并搭建了1kW的实验平台,对理论分析和仿真结果进行了试验验证。     

Power management in fuel cell based hybrid systems

This paper presents modeling, design and analysis of a Grid-connected Hybrid Photovoltaic Fuel Cell System (HPVFCS) with a reactive power compensation feature. A hydrogen based fuel cell is a proven technology and its use along with the photovoltaic system (PV) can lead to energy stability in grid-connected or standalone systems. In this paper, the Voltage Source Converter (VSC) is connected between the DC output of HPVFCS and an AC grid. The control strategy employed guarantees the maximum utilization of the PV array and the optimum use of an FC. The active and reactive power of VSC can be controlled independently using P-Q control theory. The additional function of the reactive power compensation using P-Q control theory can enhance the performance of the distribution systems where HPVFCS system is connected. Its applicability is verified by the test bench created with MATLAB/Simulink^®     

具有无功功率补偿和谐波抑制的光伏并网功率调节器控制研究

提出一种将有源滤波和无功功率补偿与光伏并网发电相结合的新型光伏并网功率调节系统。利用瞬态无功功率理论中的瞬时无功和谐波电流检测原理,采用电流矢量控制技术,以DSP数字信号处理器为基础,在30KVA光伏并网功率调节器样机中成功地实现了有源滤波、无功功率补偿和光伏并网发电三者的统一控制,使光伏并网功率调节器在向电网提供有功能量的同时也提供无功负载所需的无功能量,从而节省了设备投资,同时也改善了电网的供电质量。     

Evaluation of operation characteristics in multiple interconnection of PV systems

A method for evaluating the operation characteristic of grid-connected PV systems in multiple interconnection was proposed and a suppression of PV electric energy which is reduced by an automatic voltage control unit was estimated using a yearly scale simulation. The automatic voltage control unit is one of the PV inverter functions. In Japan, PV systems must be provided with this function to maintain within 101 V±6 V for the standard voltage of 100 V according to the technical recommendations. The automatic control voltage unit adjusts the distribution-line voltage at a connected point using leading reactive power or active power. Especially, the adjustment of active power will cause a suppression of PV electric energy.     

A multi-function grid connected PV system with three level NPC inverter and voltage oriented control

In this paper a grid connected photovoltaic (PV) system is presented. The grid integration of the PV system is carried out via a three phase three level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter. To control the inverter a modified version of voltage oriented control (VOC) method and the space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) technique have been applied. With the proposed modification the PV system operates as a shunt active power filter (SAPF), a reactive power compensator, and a load’s current balancer simultaneously. In this way the PV system operates more efficiently compared to the conventional PV systems and offers ancillary services to electric power system. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is established through simulation results with Matlab/Simulink in steady state and transient response of the electric power distribution system.     

具有APF功能的光伏并网发电系统的研究

探讨了一种具有有源滤波器功能的光伏并网发电系统。该系统白天可有效地进行光伏并网发电,还可补偿或抑制本地非线性负载产生的无功和谐波,夜晚系统仍可作为APF继续工作。相对于单独的光伏并网系统,它不但提高了设备利用率,也改善了电网的供电质量。文章分析了系统的结构组成,还采用了具有较好鲁棒性和动态响应速度的、基于瞬时无功理论的闭环无功和谐波电流检测的方法,分析了并网电流的合成及其跟踪控制。最后,利用Matlab/Simulink对系统进行了仿真,验证了系统的可行性。     

Probabilistic Wavelet Fuzzy Neural Network based reactive power control for grid-connected three-phase PV system during grid faults

This study presents a reactive power controller using Probabilistic Wavelet Fuzzy Neural Network (PWFNN) for grid-connected three-phase PhotoVoltaic (PV) system during grid faults. The controller also considers the ratio of the injected reactive current to meet the Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) regulation. Moreover, the balance of the active power between the PV panel and the grid-connected inverter during grid faults is controlled by the dc-link bus voltage. Furthermore, to reduce the risk of over-current during LVRT operation, a current limit is predefined for the injection of reactive current. The main contribution of this study is the introduction of the PWFNN controller for reactive and active power control that provides LVRT operation with power balance under various grid fault conditions. Finally, some experimental tests are realized to validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

基于逆变调压型双向动态无功补偿装置研究

提出了一种新型动态无功补偿装置,能以较小的逆变容量来实现系统的动态无功补偿,达到提高系统功率因数和电压稳定性的目的.装置以低压系统母线的电压和流过的无功为控制对象,通过控制逆变器的输出电压调节补偿电容器或电抗器两侧的电压,从而动态调节它们吸收或发出的无功的新型SVC.通过与固定补偿的结合,它能以很小的逆变器容量实现较大范围的双向动态无功补偿,降低了装置成本.利用PSCAD/EMTDC仿真平台对该补偿方式进行建模仿真,结果验证了该补偿策略的可行性和有效性.     

SMC-DPC based active and reactive power control of grid-tied three phase inverter for PV systems

In this paper, sliding mode control (SMC) – direct power controller (DPC) based active and reactive power controller for three-phase grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed. The proposed system consists of two main controllers: the DC/DC boost converter to track the possible maximum power from the PV panels and the grid-tied three-phase inverter. The Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm is used to transfer the maximum power from the PV panels. Control of the active and reactive powers is performed using the SMC-DPC strategy without any rotating coordinate transformations or phase angle tracking of the grid voltage. In addition, extra current control cycles are not used to simplify the system design and to increase transient performance. The fixed switching frequency is obtained by using space vector modulation (SVM). The proposed system provides very good results both in transient and steady states with the simple algorithms of P&O and SMC-DPC methods. Moreover, the results are evaluated by comparing the SMC-DPC method developed for MPPT and the traditional PI control method. The proposed controller method is achieved with TMS320F28335 DSP processor and the system is experimentally tested for 12 kW PV generation systems.     

Digital power factor control and reactive power regulation for grid-connected photovoltaic inverter

The overall efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems connected to the grid depends on the efficiency of direct current (DC) of the solar modules to alternate current (AC) inverter conversion. The requirements for inverter connection include: maximum power point, high efficiency, control power injected into the grid, high power factor and low total harmonic distortion of the currents injected into the grid. An approach to power factor control and reactive power regulation for PV systems connected to the grid using field programmable gate array (FPGA) is proposed. According to the grid demands; both the injected active and reactive powers are controlled.In this paper, a new digital control strategy for a single-phase inverter is carried out. This control strategy is based on the phase shift between the inverter output voltage and the grid voltage, and the digital sinusoidal pulse width modulation (DSPWM) patterns, in order to control the power factor for a wide range of the inverter output current and consequently the control and the regulation of the reactive power will be achieved. The advantage of the proposed control strategy is its implementation around simple digital circuits.In this work, a simulation study of this strategy has been realized using Matlab/Simulink and PSIM. In order to validate its performance, this control has been implemented in a FPGA. Experimental tests have been carried out demonstrating the viability of this control in order to control the power factor and the injected power into the grid.     

Load independent efficient,transformerless inverter for photovoltaic applications

The overall efficiency of photovoltaic power systems (PVPS) depends on the efficiency of the PV panels, the storage batteries, and the efficiency of the inverter circuitry. The last is greatly influenced by the connected load, as the efficiencies are severly reduced when operating at low loads. This is especially effective when the PVPS is most likely to operate with a fraction of the full load. The suggested inverter has excellent efficiency characteristics over a wide power range, and because it contains only electronic components further cost reduction can be expected. Experimentally this inverter is designed for a 120 W output using thyristor switching devices; the efficiency obtained is 88% at full load and 85.2% at 10% of full load, with a maximum output voltage of 60 V stepped sinewave with frequency of 50 Hz. However, higher power outputs could also be achieved with this type of inverter.     

Fuzzy logic-based MPPT controllers for three-phase grid-connected inverters

In photovoltaic (PV) applications, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) module is necessary to extract the whole energy that the PV module can generate depending on the instantaneous conditions of the PV system. A PV module is obtained by connecting a number of solar cells in series and parallel, which causes voltage and current to increase at module terminations. The present work is based on a three-phase grid-connected inverter designed for a 100 kW PV power plant that uses an MPPT scheme based on fuzzy logic controllers. The whole system presented is simulated in MATLAB. The fuzzy logic-based MPPT controllers show accurate and fast responses and are integrated into the inverter, so that the there is no requirement for a dc–dc converter. The inverter allows full control of reactive power.     

计及光伏出力随机性的电网运行风险评估

针对光伏发电输出功率具有随机性、可能带来电网运行风险的问题,利用蒙特卡洛模拟法对太阳光辐照度分布区间进行模拟,建立了光伏随机输出模型,对整个系统的设备及光伏电源出力进行随机抽样;结合风险理论,对并网光伏系统随机出力情况下电网的运行风险指标进行了计算。以IEEE-RTS79系统为例,分析了不同光伏并网点和不同并网容量对电网运行风险的影响。结果表明,在负荷较重区域增设光伏并网,可以有效地降低电网运行风险。因此,选择适当的光伏并网点和容量可以降低电网运行风险。     

Development and performance test of smart power conditioner for value-added PV application

It is a disadvantage that PV power generation is only useful for clear daytime. However, a new 24 hours of application in an extended area can be added by active utilization of potential ability of PV power conditioner. For this purpose, a new multi-functional power conditioner was developed, which has a smoothing function to reduce PV output variation and load fluctuation, and also has additional function to compensate harmonics current and reactive power caused by customer's load.As a result of indoor testing, a reduction rate of around for harmonics current and reactive power were achieved. In addition, the reduction rate around for smoothing of PV output variation and load fluctuation were verified.The work was promoted by NEDO as part of the New Sunshine Project in Japan.