The role of Power Electronics

in Photovoltaic Power
Generation Systems

Lecturer:
Prof. Dr.
Mrio L. da
Silva Martins.
Federal
University of
Technology
- Parana
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Outline:
Motivation:
World Energy Outlook;
Energy and Environment.
Renewable Energy:
Renewable Energy Outlook;
Future Energy Systems.
Photovoltaic Energy:
Photovoltaic Basics;
Photovoltaic Systems.
Some conclusions.
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Motivation
Conceito: O que ?

World Energy Outlook:

Energy production and use is fundamental to
modern, industrialised economies, and supports
all economic activity.
Energy is used to move vehicles, heat homes,
and power industry.
In the industrial sector, final energy consumption
has been falling slightly in OECD countries,
(shift from industrial manufacturing to services).
The commercial and residential sectors are
continuing to increase their energy use,
with greater use of electrical goods, more floor
space per capita, and higher levels of cooling
and heating comfort.
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World Energy Outlook:

Nowadays there is a huge energy consumption
and growing demand.
High levels of economic growth in the new giants
of the world economy.
China and India together account for nearly half
of the entire growth in world energy demand.
By around 2010, China will overtake the United
States to become the worlds largest consumer of
energy.
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World Energy Outlook:

Share of China and India in Incremental Energy Demand
(2000-2006)
50%
85%
35%

World Energy Outlook:

Increase in World Primary Energy Demand by Fuel
Perspective 2005-2030

100%
50%

World Energy Outlook:

The most important trend in energy
production over the last few decades
has been the rapid increase in the share
of energy from electricity.
This is partly the result of increased growth in
the electricity-intense residential and commercial
sectors.
Furthermore, there has been a shift in all sectors
to greater electricity use.
This reflects the wide range of uses of electricity,
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its flexibility, safety and cost.

World Energy Outlook:

Electricity Demand and Generation
15 016 TWh in 2005

29 737 TWh in 2030

World Energy Outlook:

China and India need to sustain a
phenomenal rate of economic
growth.
There are still over 400 million people in India
without access to electricity.
Access to clean burning fuels for cooking and
space heating in rural China is still very limited.
The aspirations of a burgeoning middle class are
driving social and economic change.
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World Energy Outlook:

Per-Capita Primary Energy Demand in China, India
and Other Selected Countries (2005)

8 toe

< 1.5 toe

< 0.5 toe

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World Energy Outlook:

There can be no moral grounds for
expecting China and India selectively to
curb their economic growth simply
because world energy demand is rising
unacceptably, with associated risks of
supply interruptions, high prices and
damage to the environment.

These are global problems to be

tackled on a global basis.
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Energy & Environment:

Electricity

Idealized energy-depletion curves of

the world.

Electricity generation by fuel

types for selected countries.

200
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Energy & Environment:

Energy production and use can affect the
environment in many ways, with very diverse
impacts from different fuel sources.
Table 1. Contribution of energy use to air pollutants.
Air pollutant Transport Electricity production
SO2

4%

23%

NO2

52%

28%

CO

85%

Particulates

17%

2%
12%

The power sector is the dominant source of SOx emissions,

where coal use is highest.
Ecosystems impacts:
Coal extraction:

acid rain!

land degradation !

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Energy & Environment:

Per capita CO2 emission vs. population
of some selected countries (2004).

50 years

Global fossil fuel CO2 emissions.

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Energy & Environment:

Long-term effect of global warming:
The gradual melting of the worlds glaciers and polar ice caps
will inundate low-lying areas of the earth.
Severe droughts in tropical countries near the equator, such
as Africa and India.
The circulation of more air with heavy moisture will cause
more hurricanes, tornados, heavy rains, and floods.
Some animal species (such as polar bears, penguins, and
corals) will gradually become extinct.

RENEWABLE ENERGY.
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Renewable
Energy
Conceito: O que ?

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Renewable Energy Outlook

Definition:

Renewable energy is energy which comes from

natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides,
and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished.
Renewable energy replaces conventional fuels in four
distinct areas:
Power generation;
Heating (water / space);
Transport, and
Rural (off-grid) energy services.

The most explored:

Hydro-electric;
Photovoltaic; and
Wind.
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Renewable Energy Outlook

Annual growth rates of electricity generation sources (world).
Source: REPP, Worldwatch 1998/99.

Future electricity generation = wind and solar PV

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Future Energy Systems:

Renewable energy systems involve many aspects:
Efficiency (production & conversion);
Reliability and cost of the energy conversion;
Capability to forecast energy production;
Safe connection to the electric grid (microgrids);
Efficient energy storage and transport (low
environmental impact); and,
Development of advanced control and monitoring
algorithms;

Distributed Generation
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Future Energy Systems:

Distributed Generation
RESs cannot directly replace the existing electric energy grid
technologies.
RESs will gradually be infused into existing grids.

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Future Energy Systems:

Sources
Loads

Power
Electonics

Energy network
Communication
network

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Future Energy Systems

Power Electronics
Buildig BLocks

The Smart Grid model.

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Future Energy Systems

Why PEBB ?
Connecting hundreds and thousands of RESs to the utility network
introduces different dynamics to the system.
If the distributed sources are not properly controlled, the grid can
become unstable and even fail.

The Smart Grid model.

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Future Energy Systems

Why PEBB ?
This challenge is solved by electronic power converters
that handle two main tasks:

Maximum Power Transfer and

Power Limit.
Active/Reactive Power Control
and Power Quality Control.

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Future Energy Systems

PEBB tasks:
On the input side (Source):
Power Electronics control and transform the load
characteristics so that maximum power is extracted from the
source.

On the grid side:

Power Electronics must control active power injection even in
view of contributing to frequency control ensure low harmonic
content (THD), low electromagnetic interference (EMI), and low
leakage current.
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Photovoltaic
Energy
Conceito: O que ?

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Photovoltaic Basics
History
Edmond Becquerel (1839)

Bell Laboratories (1954) Solar Cell

Space applications since 1958 Solar Pannel

Global energy (oil) 1973 Solar PV as energy source.

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Photovoltaic Basics
Modeling of the Solar Cell
Semiconductor PN junction

Elecrons/holes mobility

Solar Cell electric model

I = I L ( I D + I Sh )
Math model
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Photovoltaic Basics
Operation and Characteristics (i x v)

Irradiance dependence

I Irradiation

Temperature dependence

V Temperature
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Photovoltaic Basics
Power and Characteristics
Solar Cell:

P = 1 2W
V = 0.5 0.6V

MPP varies during the day.

To enhance the power an array with several cell is required.
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Photovoltaic Basics
PV Modules:
One silicon solar cell produces about 0.5 volt.
Modules are arrangement of solar cells connected
in series that produces about 18 volts at
(60 to 300 W).
Module is the basic building block of PV systems.
Monocrystalline modules.
Multicrystalline modules.
Thin film (Amorphous) modules.
PV module.

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Photovoltaic Basics
PV Arrays
Individual modules can be
connected in series, parallel,
or both to increase either
output voltage or current.
This also increases the output
power.

Circuit diagram of the PV array.

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Flexibility in power capability

Photovoltaic Basics
Partial Shading
Partially shaded conditions is quite common
(e.g., due to clouds, trees, etc.)
Reduces the effectiveness of the MPP tracking (MPPT)
schemes.
Damage the module due to hot spot phenomenum.
MPP

Local MPP

Nonideal Characteristic curve.

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PEBB tasks:

Photovoltaic Systems
MPPT Maximum Power Point Tracker
Means that the PV generator is always supposed to operate at
maximum output voltage/current rating. In principle, a MPPtracker is a dc/dc converter that sets the solar generator to
operate at MPP independently of the load.
Its main function is to adjust the panel output voltage to a value
in which the panel transfers maximum energy to the load.

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PEBB tasks:

Photovoltaic Systems
MPPT Maximum Power Point Tracker
The two most frequently used
MPPT algorithms are perturb and
observe (P&O) and incremental
conductance (IC).

Measured
variables

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PEBB configuration:

Photovoltaic Systems
Stand Alone

Grid Connected

PV battery systems
PV hybrid systems

Only PV systems
PV battery systems

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Stand Alone

Series
configuration

PEBB config.:

Photovoltaic Systems
Grid Connected

Parallel
configuration

Single-stage
configuration

Parallel
Single-stage

Series

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PEBB config.:

Photovoltaic Systems
Stand Alone

Team
concept

Grid Connected

Decentralized

Multi-string

Centralized

String

Module
integrated

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Photovoltaic Systems
Voltage Gain issue
MPPT stage
Grid Connected

Boost converter with voltage multiplier

Boost converter with coupled inductor

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Photovoltaic Systems
MPPT stage
Voltage Gain issue
Grid Connected

Integrated Boost-flyback converter

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Photovoltaic Systems
MPPT stage
Efficiency issue
Grid Connected
Decentralized

Multi-string

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Photovoltaic Systems
MPPT stage
Efficiency issue
Grid Connected
Decentralized

Multi-string

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Photovoltaic Systems
Inverter stage

Control issue

Syncronization (PLL)
Active/Reactive Power Control
THD voltage
Islanding

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Photovoltaic Systems
Inverter stage

Efficiency/ weight issue

In PV transformerless systems, the switching converter has to

be designed not only for high efficiency and low THD but also to
guarantee low ground current injection.
It is required to avoid the current circulation from DC bus to
the load during the output voltage zero state.

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Photovoltaic Systems
Inverter stage

Efficiency issue

Operate with a lower switching

frequency (lower losses).
Lower dv/dt stress.
Generate smaller CM voltage.

Hybrid

NPC

9-level output voltage

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Photovoltaic Systems
Inverter stage
Hybrid
Output voltage

Low freq.
Low freq.
High freq.

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Photovoltaic Systems
Semiconductors
SiC have a high potential for
enhancements of the efficiency
of PV systems.

On state resistance x Rated Voltage

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Some
Conclusions
Conceito: O que ?

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Some Conclusions:

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Some Conclusions:

System level chalenges:

Component level chalenges:

Maximum Power Transfer

and Power Limit.
Active/Reactive Power Control
and Power Quality Control.

Efficiency
Voltage-gain
Performance
Low cost
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Thanks to:

G r u p o d e P e s q u is a e m

A n lis e e P r o c e s s a m e n to d e E n e r g ia

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