光伏并网发电对配电网电压分布的影响

光伏并网发电系统对配电网的电压分布有着重要的影响,它的接入位置和接入容量大小与配电网的电压有很大关系.研究了放射状链式配电网络在并入一定容量的光伏发电后各节点电压幅值的变化情况,结合电压分布的特点,对光伏并网发电的可行接入位置以及注入容量进行了理论探讨.研究表明从稳态电压分布的角度来看,光伏并网发电接入馈线的位置和注入容量的大小有严格的要求.     

单相全桥三电平逆变器的控制与仿真

文中提出了一种对称型的单相全桥三电平逆变器,逆变器主要由两个桥臂组成,且每个桥臂有四个开关管,每个开关管的电压应力只有输入电压的一半。文章详细介绍了一种正弦脉宽调制(SPWM)控制策略,由两个同相的三角载波和正弦调制波的正反相分别交接得到四个不同的脉冲信号,再结合稳定性好的双闭环控制策略,这种控制方法提高了单相全桥逆变器输出电压的外特性。通过Matlab/Simulink的仿真,在SPWM双闭环控制策略的情况下,三电平逆变器的输出电压在负载波动时基本保持不变。同时验证了单相全桥三电平逆变器的优点和SPWM双闭环控制策略的有效性。     

含大规模屋顶光伏电站接入农村配电网多目标优化配置方法

针对大规模屋顶光伏电站接入农村配电网无序分布带来的分布式发电资源浪费等问题,本文以屋顶光伏电站建设投资成本最小化和系统网络损耗最小化为优化目标,综合考虑农村地区安装面积限制和配电网运行约束,构建了含大规模屋顶光伏电站接入农村配电网多目标优化配置模型,采用针对高维度解改进的带精英策略的非支配排序算法(NSGA-II)对配置模型进行优化,针对算法求解得到的Pareto解集,应用模糊贴近度进行筛选,得出最优方案。通过IEEE-33节点配电系统算例仿真分析,结果表明：所提出的配置方法可以在提高屋顶光伏电站投资经济性的同时,利用屋顶光伏电站的优化配置提高系统的供电可靠性。     

Inverter sizing of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the light of local solar resource distribution characteristics and temperature

Inverter sizing strategies for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems often do not take into account site-dependent peculiarities of ambient temperature, inverter operating temperature and solar irradiation distribution characteristics. The operating temperature affects PV modules and inverters in different ways and PV systems will hardly ever have a DC output equal to or above their STC-rated nominal power. Inverters are usually sized with a nominal AC output power some 30% (sometimes even more) below the PV array nominal power. In this paper, we show that this practice might lead to considerable energy losses, especially in the case of PV technologies with high temperature coefficients of power operating at sites with cold climates and of PV technologies with low temperature coefficients of power operating at sites with warm climates and an energy distribution of sunlight shifted to higher irradiation levels. In energy markets where PV kW h’s are paid premium tariffs, like in Germany, energy yield optimization might result in a favorable payback of the extra capital invested in a larger inverter.This paper discusses how the time resolution of solar radiation data influences the correct sizing of PV plants.We demonstrate that using instant (10 s) irradiation values instead of average hourly irradiation values leads to considerable differences in optimum inverter sizing. When calculating inverter yearly efficiency values using both, hourly averages and 1-min averages, we can show that with increased time resolution of solar irradiation data there are higher calculated losses due to inverter undersizing. This reveals that hourly averages hide important irradiation peaks that need to be considered.We performed these calculations for data sets from pyranometer readings from Freiburg (48°N, Germany) and Florianopolis (27°S, Brazil) to further show the peculiarities of the site-dependent distribution of irradiation levels and its effects on inverter sizing.     

Hybrid concentrated photovoltaic and thermal power conversion at different spectral bands

The option to use the beam down optics of a solar tower system for large-scale and grid-connected concentrated photovoltaic (PV) cells is examined. The rationale is to use this system to split the solar spectrum. Part of the spectrum can be utilized for PV cells. For instance, but not limited to, mono-crystalline silicon cells can convert the 600–900 nm band to electricity at an efficiency of 55–60%. The rest of the spectrum remains concentrated and it can be used thermally to generate electricity in Rankine–Brayton cycles or to operate chemical processes. Two optical approaches for a large-scale system are described and analyzed. In the first concept, the hyperboloid-shaped tower reflector is used as the spectrum splitter. Its mirrors can be made of transparent fused silica glass, coated with a dielectric layer, functioning as a band-pass filter. The transmitted band reaches the upper focal zone, where an array of PV modules is placed. The location of these modules and their interconnections depend on the desirable concentration level and the uniformity of the flux distribution. The reflected band is directed to the second focal zone near the ground, where a compound parabolic concentrator is required to recover and enhance the concentration to a level depending on the operating temperature at this target. In the second approach, the total solar spectrum is reflected down by the tower reflector. Before reaching the lower focal plane, the spectrum is split and filtered. One band can be reflected and directed horizontally to a PV array and, in this case, the rest of the spectrum is transmitted to the lower focal plane. To illustrate the feasibility of these options, commercial silicon cells with antireflective coating, intended to operate under concentrated solar radiation in the range of 200–800 suns, were chosen. The results show that 6.5 MWe from the PV array and 11.1 MWe from a combined cycle can be generated starting from a solar heat input of 55.6 MW.     

Cooling potential of ventilated PV façade and solar air heaters combined with a desiccant cooling machine

Thermal energy collected from a PV-solar air heating system is being used to provide cooling for the Mataro Library, near Barcelona. The system is designed to utilise surplus heat available from the ventilated PV facade and PV shed elements during the summer season to provide building cooling. A desiccant cooling machine was installed on the library roof with an additional solar air collector and connected to the existing ventilated PV façade and PV sheds. The desiccant cooling cycle is a novel open heat driven system that can be used to condition the air supplied to the building interior. Cooling power is supplied to the room space within the building by evaporative cooling of the fresh air supply, and the solar heat from the PV-solar air heating system provides the necessary regeneration air temperature for the desiccant machine. This paper describes the system and gives the main technical details. The cooling performance of the solar powered desiccant cooling system is evaluated by the detailed modelling of the complete cooling process. It is shown that air temperature level of the PV-solar air heating system of 70 °C or more can be efficiently used to regenerate the sorption wheel in the desiccant cooling machine. A solar fraction of 75% can be achieved by such an innovative system and the average COP of the cooling machine over the summer season is approximate 0.518.     

Life cycle assessment study of solar PV systems: An example of a 2.7 kWp distributed solar PV system in Singapore

In life cycle assessment (LCA) of solar PV systems, energy pay back time (EPBT) is the commonly used indicator to justify its primary energy use. However, EPBT is a function of competing energy sources with which electricity from solar PV is compared, and amount of electricity generated from the solar PV system which varies with local irradiation and ambient conditions. Therefore, it is more appropriate to use site-specific EPBT for major decision-making in power generation planning. LCA and life cycle cost analysis are performed for a distributed 2.7 kW_p grid-connected mono-crystalline solar PV system operating in Singapore. This paper presents various EPBT analyses of the solar PV system with reference to a fuel oil-fired steam turbine and their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and costs are also compared. The study reveals that GHG emission from electricity generation from the solar PV system is less than one-fourth that from an oil-fired steam turbine plant and one-half that from a gas-fired combined cycle plant. However, the cost of electricity is about five to seven times higher than that from the oil or gas fired power plant. The environmental uncertainties of the solar PV system are also critically reviewed and presented.     

Optimised model for community-based hybrid energy system

Hybrid energy system is an excellent solution for electrification of remote rural areas where the grid extension is difficult and not economical. Such system incorporates a combination of one or several renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaic, wind energy, micro-hydro and may be conventional generators for backup. This paper discusses different system components of hybrid energy system and develops a general model to find an optimal combination of energy components for a typical rural community minimizing the life cycle cost.The developed model will help in sizing hybrid energy system hardware and in selecting the operating options. Micro-hydro-wind systems are found to be the optimal combination for the electrification of the rural villages in Western Ghats (Kerala) India, based on the case study. The optimal operation shows a unit cost of Rs. 6.5/kW h with the selected hybrid energy system with 100% renewable energy contribution eliminating the need for conventional diesel generator.     

A voltage regulation method for dispersed grid-connected PV systems under high-density connection

This paper describes a voltage regulation method for dispersed grid-connected PV systems under high-density connection. In the near future, many PV systems will be connected to distribution systems. The reverse power flow of the grid-connected PV systems will raise line voltage to the upper limit of the legal voltage range. In the first part of this paper we examine the voltage characteristics of a distribution system under high-density connection, while the second part of the paper describes a voltage regulation method for high-density PV connections, using reactive power proportional to global irradiance. The results of tests clearly demonstrate a restraining effect on voltage during the daytime and a smoothing effect on voltage fluctuation.     

The financials of constructing a solar PV for net-zero energy operations on college campuses

The LACCD has a goal of establishing net-zero energy operations across its nine campuses. The project faces many challenges, including limited open areas for installing solar PV, increasing energy consumption challenges associated with campus energy growth and the high cost of installing solar PV. A previous study by Kwan and Hoffmann (2010) found that the LACCD would need to install a 9.5 MW solar PV array in order to meet total campus energy demand on a college campus through the year 2020. This paper attempts to evaluate the financial feasibility of such a project, taking into account the current local, state and federal renewable energy incentives available. We find that despite the availability of financial incentives by local municipal utility companies including installation rebates and net metering, the cost of electricity generated by solar PV still remains approximately 30% higher than electricity generated by fossil fuels. We also find that the optimal solar PV array size from a financial standpoint is one that is sized to generate and meet all electrical demand during sunlight hours. Any array larger than this yields diminishing returns. Finally our analysis examined the influence of per kW installation cost and found that only when prices dropped to $3.00 per installed watt did a net-zero energy solar PV array have an NPV of 0.