Search results for "Grid-connected"

Analytical Investigation and Control System Set-up of Medium Scale PV Plants for Power Flow Management

2012

In the field of photovoltaic (PV) plants and energy conversion from renewable sources, a large part of the technical literature is more devoted to practical aspects (new solar cells, electrically driven PV panels, safety, reduction of parasitic currents, etc.) than to theoretical investigations. Despite this tendency, this paper presents a mathematical analysis of a medium scale photovoltaic power generation system connected to the distribution network and of its control system. In such a system, the conversion stage is unique due to the absence of a boost chopper. The conducted analysis leads to the interesting conclusion that the inverter used in the plant presents two degrees of freedom,…

Manufacturing tolerances effects on PV array energy production

2014

This paper investigates the tolerance effects of commercial photovoltaic modules in terms of electrical energy reduction of photovoltaic plants. Several commercial modules, having the same rated power, present different power tolerance values. A wide tolerance is an indicator of possible defects or differences in the production process and is responsible of remarkable reductions in the electricity production of photovoltaic plants. In this paper, thanks to the development of a suitable simulation tool, several simulations have been carried out, considering different tolerance and shading conditions for the PV array. Simulation results quantify the peak power value of the different plant con…

Optimization of photovoltaic energy production through an efficient switching matrix

2013

This work presents a preliminary study on the implementation of a new system for power output maximization of photovoltaic generators under non-homogeneous conditions. The study evaluates the performance of an efficient switching matrix and the relevant automatic reconfiguration control algorithms. The switching matrix is installed between the PV generator and the inverter, allowing a large number of possible module configurations. PV generator, switching matrix and the intelligent controller have been simulated in Simulink. The proposed reconfiguration system improved the energy extracted by the PV generator under non-uniform solar irradiation conditions. Short calculation times of the pro…

Economic analysis on dynamic photovoltaic systems in new Italian “feed in tariffs” context

2013

Dynamic photovoltaic generators, based on the application of solar-trackers, are able to give an increment to the electric energy production from solar source. Their realization and maintenance costs are certainly higher than those of fixed ones. In this paper the Authors propose a method to estimate the increment of electrical energy generation that must be guaranteed by a dynamic photovoltaic generator, so as its realization could be more favorable with respect to that of a fixed generator one with the same rated power. This method, developed by means of classical economic indexes like the Pay-Back-Period and the Net Present Value, takes in to account the economic incentives for the PV sy…

Photovoltaic based active generator: Energy control system using stateflow analysis

2015

At present, most of the grid connected photovoltaic (PV) systems are operating at maximum power points and injecting power in uncontrolled way. Thus, active generator will be a good solution to support instantaneous power balance, frequency control and maintaining the power quality with controllable power injection. This new mode of active generator needs innovative power management. The new proposed energy control system for active generator might help to manage the energy within the micro-grid environment. In this work, the focus is to manage the energy among the PV based active generator, load and interconnected grid and energy controller architecture for that purpose is presented. It co…

A new modified Inc-Cond MPPT technique and its testing in a whole PV simulator under PSC

2015

In this paper a new modified Inc-Cond MPPT technique able to lead PV plants to work in the real MPP (Maximum Power Point) under PSC (Partial Shading Condition) is proposed. The new Inc-Cond MPPT technique working principle is fully explained, discussed and then successfully tested in a whole and reliable PV simulator conceived and set-up by the Authors in order to test and compare several new MPPT algorithms. The simulation results show that the proposed Inc-Cond MPPT technique is able to successfully lead the PV plant to work in the real MPP both in the cases of instantaneous and gradual changing of shading and of temperature conditions.

On-grid residential development with photovoltaic systems in Southern Norway

2013

The application of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems is increasing rapidly worldwide. In Southern Norway, a group of on-grid smart houses with embedded PV systems, solar thermal collectors, and geothermal heat pumps are under development at Skarpnes. In this paper, performance analysis based on simulations of an on-grid residential house with PV system located at Skarpnes is presented. This project is expected to demonstrate zero energy and zero emission housing in Norway. This paper discusses a theoretical study of home energy consumption with electricity production for a single house from a PV system, including simulations of irradiation conditions and tilt angles, and of the PV syste…

A simple and accurate model of photovoltaic modules for power system design

2014

Review of the energy and economic parameters involved in the effectiveness of grid-connected PV systems installed in multi-storey buildings

2014

Abstract The assessment of PV energy in an urban context is extremely complex because many factors have to be considered. Moreover, when the purpose is calculating the realistic amount of the electricity demand of a city that can be covered by the photovoltaic generation, it is necessary to estimate the number of photovoltaic systems whose installation is economically advantageous. Such a topic requires an economic analysis, which is affected by the number of energy and economic parameters involved and the values assigned to them to perform calculations. Some parameters are perfectly known and unvarying, like the paid incentives. Adversely, some parameters, like the efficiency degradation o…

Review on photovoltaic based active generator

2015

An active generator has the capacity to support frequency control and instantaneous power balance. The grid operator adjusts the power dispatch of generators according to power demand fluctuations. Photovoltaic (PV) based active generators can be used as load following generators in the same manner as other power dispatch generators. This new type of distribution system, based on active generator(s), needs new innovative management and operation strategies for increasing the penetration of intermittent renewable energy systems. The considered PV based active generator has three units, i.e., PV array, battery storage and super capacitor. In this review paper, the management and operation app…