ECEN 4517
POWER ELECTRONICS AND PHOTOVOLTAIC

ECEN 5517
POWER SYSTEM LABORATORY

http://ece.colorado.edu/~ecen4517

• Photovoltaic power systems

• Power conversion and control electronics

Prerequisite: ECEN 4797 or ECEN 5797

Instructor: Prof. Bob Erickson

TAs: Mingyang Wang (Tuesday and Wednesday)
and Mark Norris (Thursday).

DC loads

PV Charge control Inverter AC

Panel Battery loads
DC-DC converter 120 V 60 Hz
85 W for maximum power Deep- 300 W
point tracking and discharge true sinewave
battery charge profile lead-acid
12 V, 56 A-hr

Digital control
Power Electronics Laboratory
1
Lecture 1

 The solar power business

Approximate cost of solar power today

Capital cost of cells $4/Wpk

Capital cost of grid-connected system
$8/Wpk

Cost of energy 20-30¢/kWh

New installations: 1460 MW in 2005

Significant growth underway


Future growth in thin-film technologies expected to lead to substantial
reduction in capital cost and growth in industry size

• DOE/NREL cost goal of $50/m2, or less than $0.50/Wpk

Need a similar reduction in cost of balance of system

• Power conversion electronics

• Interconnections, building integration, installation, protection

• Current cost of balance of system is approx. $4/Wpk

1

 Photovoltaic Cell Technologies

Wafer-based silicon

Single crystalline

– Most of production to date

– High efficiency but high cost

– Cut from ingot with saw

– Needs 20 kg Si per 1 kWpk

Multi-crystalline

– Cut from cast polysilicon ingots

– Cheaper than single-crystalline,
a few percent less efficient

Both are normally p–n devices

2

 Photovoltaic Cell Technologies

Thin film

Amorphous silicon

p–i–n devices, active layer is i

Degradation issues, low deposition
rates

CIS
Copper-Indium-diSelenide
Cu-In-Se2

CIGS
Copper-Indium-Gallium-
diSelenide

CdTe
Cadmium-Telluride

The three above are p-type materials.
A p-n diode is constructed with a
thin n-layer such as CdS

Gallium allows tweaking of bandgap to
optimize efficiency

Cost of Indium? Toxicity of Cadmium?

Thin layers (~ 2 μm) lead to low cost

Deposition on flexible substrate such
as stainless steel or polymer sheets

3

 Mass production of rolls of thin-film PV material
Shah, Torres, Tscharmer, Wyrsch, and Kepner, “Photovoltaic Technology: The Case for Thin-Film Solar Cells”, Science,
vol. 285, pp. 692-698, July 30 1999.

Evolution of record PV cell efficiency

for various technologies. CIGS record
efficiency now at 19.6%

Major producers pursuing this

approach now include:

Sharp: a-Si, Mitsubishi: a-Si, Schott solar:
a-Si, Shell solar: CIS, Honda solar: CIGS

PESWiki.com lists 15 other manufacturers
of thin-film PV, now shipping

4
 Variations in Solar Irradiance

What the pyranometer

sees (total irradiance)

Cells that are not in

direct sun can still
experience substantial
irradiance from clouds,
reflections, diffusion

T. Stoffel, 20 years of solar measurements: the Solar Radiation Research Laboratory at NREL, National
Renewable Energy Laboratory SRRL, 4/13/05.

7

 Plugging in numbers

(panel current)(panel voltage) = (solar irradiance)(efficiency)(panel area)

If:
solar irradiance (insolation) = 1 kW/m2

Efficiency = 10%

Panel area = 1 m x 1 m = 1 m2

Voltage at peak power point = 10 V

Then: current at peak power point is

(1000 W/m2)(10%)(1 m2)/(10 V) = 10 A

and Isc is a little greater than 10 A.

Panel output power at peak power point is 100 W

Q: how much power can you get out of this panel indoors using ambient
lighting?

8

 Development of Electrical Model
of the Photovoltaic Cell, slide 1

Photogeneration

Semiconductor material absorbs photons and
photon
converts into hole-electron pairs if


Photon energy h
> Egap

(*)
+
–
• Energy in excess of Egap is converted to
heat

• Photo-generated current I0 is proportional to
number of absorbed photons satisfying (*)

Charge separation

Electric field created by diode structure separates holes and electrons

Open circuit voltage Voc depends on diode characteristic, Voc < Egap/q

Power Electronics Laboratory
6 Lecture 1

 Development of Electrical Model
of the Photovoltaic Cell, slide 2

Current source I0 models photo-generated current

I0 is proportional to the solar irradiance, also called the “insolation”:


I0 = k (solar irradiance)

Solar irradiance is measured in W/m^2

Power Electronics Laboratory
7 Lecture 1

 Development of Electrical Model
of the Photovoltaic Cell, slide 3

Diode models p–n junction

Diode i–v characteristic follows classical
exponential diode equation:


Id = Idss (e
Vd – 1)

The diode current Id causes the terminal
current Ipv to be less than or equal to the
photo-generated current I0.

Power Electronics Laboratory
8 Lecture 1

 Development of Electrical Model
of the Photovoltaic Cell, slide 4

Modeling nonidealities:

R1 : defects and other
leakage current mechanisms

R2 : contact resistance and
other series resistances

Power Electronics Laboratory
9 Lecture 1

 Cell characteristic

Cell output power is Ppv = IpvVpv

At the maximum power point
(MPP):

Vpv = Vmp

Ipv = Imp

At the short circuit point:

Ipv = Isc = I0

Ppv = 0

At the open circuit point:

Vpv = Voc

Ppv = 0

Power Electronics Laboratory
10
Lecture 1

 Series String of PV Cells
to increase voltage

• To increase the voltage, cells are connected

in series on panels, and panels are
connected in series into series strings.

• All series-connected elements conduct the
same current

• Problems when cells irradiance is not
uniform

Power Electronics Laboratory
13 Lecture 1

 Bypass Diodes

Bypass diodes:

• Limit the voltage drop across reverse-
biased cells or strings of cells

• Reduce the power consumption of
reverse-biased cells

Power Electronics Laboratory
14
Lecture 1

 Direct Energy Transfer

Power Electronics Laboratory
11
Lecture 1

 Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)

• MPPT adjusts DC-DC converter conversion ratio M(D) = Vbatt/Vpv such

that the PV panel operates at its maximum power point.

• The converter can step down the voltage and step up the current.

• Battery is charged with the maximum power available from the PV panel.

Power Electronics Laboratory
12
Lecture 1

 Deep-Discharge Lead-Acid Batteries

Theory and modeling of

batteries

Dont overcharge: this causes
outgassing and can quickly
ruin the battery

Dont discharge below 50%
SOC: this reduces battery life

Battery state of charge (SOC) vs. terminal voltage

100% SOC
12.80 volts or greater

75% SOC

12.55 volts

50% SOC

12.20 volts

25% SOC

11.75 volts

56 Ampere-hour
0% SOC

10.50 volts┠

16

 Experiment 1
Direct Energy Transfer System

• Model PV panel

• Investigate direct energy transfer system behavior

• Investigate effects of shading

• Observe behavior of lead-acid battery

Power Electronics Laboratory
2 Lecture 1

 Experiments 2 and 3
Maximum Power Point Tracking

• Design and construct dc-dc converter

• Employ microcontroller to achieve maximum power point tracking
(MPPT) and battery charge control

Power Electronics Laboratory
3 Lecture 1

 Experiments 4 and 5
Add Inverter to System

• Build your own inverter system to drive AC loads from your battery

• Step up the battery voltage to 200 VDC as needed by inverter

• Regulate the 200 VDC with an analog feedback loop

• Change the 200 VDC into 120 VAC

Power Electronics Laboratory
4 Lecture 1

 Mini-Project
ECEE Expo Competition

• Propose and build an Solar Power

upgrade to your
ition a nd E xpo
system to improve Compet
efficiency, reliability, Featuring
and energy capture
Thursday 4/30 Photovoltaics and
Power Electronics
9 a.m. to noon Laboratory
• Competition during Herbst Plaza, Classes ECEN
ECEE Expo: capture CU Engr Center 4517 and 5517
the most energy with
Awards given to the stand-alone solar power system
your system outside
demonstrating the highest efficiency and energy capture

Last years competition poster

Power Electronics Laboratory
5 Lecture 1

 Lab Format

Two-person groups, up to 10 groups per section

This week: lab organizational meetings

Parts kits:

Available from E Store

One kit needed per group

Cost: TBA, approximately $100. Contains power and control electronic
parts needed for experiments.

You will also need other small resistors etc. from undergraduate
circuits kit

Lab:

Access via CUID card reader

Computer login via CU Identikey

You may optionally store your parts in your own locked drawer in your lab
bench. Lock and key deposit for the semester at E Store.

Power Electronics Laboratory
6
Lecture 1

 Required Work

There will generally be one assignment due each week:

Prelab assignments


18%

Lab final reports


32%

Midterm exam


20%

Project proposal and report

10%

Expo



10%

Attendance and lab performance
10%

Assignments are due at the beginning of lecture or lab on the day listed on
the course schedule web page. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Power Electronics Laboratory
7
Lecture 1