In the search for environmentally friendly methods to implement renewable energy in the power system residential microgrids have been proposed and proven. The direct current (DC) microgrid topology is a promising implementation of a microgrid system due to the increasing amount of DC-operated loads and production units expected in the near future. In this project, the proposed DC microgrid consists of a solar photovoltaic (PV) power source, a battery, a DC load, and an interlinking bidirectional converter to connect the microgrid to the external three-phase power grid. The PV system is controlled with a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm to maximise the power production in all weathers. The DC bus voltage is stabilised by the battery controller and a coordinated control scheme considering the electricity price and battery State of Charge (SOC) is implemented to govern the power exchange with the utility grid. Simulations of the system are shown to validate the functionality of the microgrid and the performance of the controllers in multiple scenarios. The proposed DC microgrid is proven to function in both utility grid-connected mode and in isolation from the utility grid. / I sökandet efter miljövänliga metoder att implementera förnybar energi i kraftsystemet har lokalt självförsörjande elsystem för bostäder föreslagits och visats fungera. Den likströmsbaserade topologin är en lovande implementering av ett sådant lokalt elsystem till följd av den ökande mängden likströmsdrivna laster och produktionsenheter som förväntas komma inom en snar framtid. I detta projekt består det föreslagna likströmsbaserade elsystemet av en solenergikälla, ett batteri, en likströmslast och en sammanlänkande dubbelriktad omvandlare för att ansluta det lokala elsystemet till det externa trefasiga elnätet. Solenergisystemet styrs med en maximal kraftpunktföljande algoritm för att maximera kraftproduktionen i alla väder. Likströmsbussens spänning stabiliseras av batteristyrenheten och ett samordnat styrschema som tar hänsyn till elpriset och batteriets laddningstillstånd implementeras för att styra energiutbytet med elnätet. Simuleringar av systemet presenteras för att validera mikronätets funktionalitet och styrteknikens prestanda i flera olika scenarier. Det föreslagna likströmsbaserade elsystemet visas fungera i både nätanslutet läge och isolerat från elnätet. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2022, KTH, Stockholm

Purpose - In the pursuit of renewable energy sources, solar photovoltaic (PV) is predicted to become the single biggest global source of energy by the year of 2027, part of a trilemma involving climate change, biodiversity and food security. Agrivoltaic (AV) systems, the co-location and potential symbiosis between agricultural activities and solar PV, has thereby arisen as a potential solution for dual land-use. The research within this area is novel, and scholars agree that there is a need for the conceptualization of utility-scale AV in general, and the commercialization process of such systems in particular. Thereby, the purpose of this study is to unravel the key factors, activities and stakeholder involvement in order to assess the commercial potential of utility-scale AV. By addressing research questions: RQ1. What are the key factors for assessing the commercial potential of utility-scale AV?, RQ2. Which activities are essential to address these factors? and RQ3. Who are the key stakeholders that need to be involved in these activities?, a contingency framework for the assessment process has been developed. Method - In order to fulfill the purpose of this study utility-scale AV was approached as a Technology Innovation System (TIS) where the solar energy actor Sunna Group AB (Sunna) enabled insight to the potential industry context of utility-scale AV. Respondents were sampled within the TIS, forming the prerequisites for this multiple case study. Empirical data were collected in three phases: 1) Exploratory, 2) Semi-structured and 3) Final workshop, resulting in 3 workshops and 17 interviews, analyzed by a thematic analysis.  Findings - The thematic analysis resulted in four main themes: 1) Socio-political factors, 2) Techno-economical factors, 3) Meso activities for commercialization and 4) Macro activities for commercialization, under which seven key factors, six overarching activities and the stakeholder involvement in these activities, were revealed. These further formed a contingency framework providing an overview of how these building blocks are interlinked.  Theoretical & practical implications - The resulting framework provides an overview and synthesizes the commercialization of utility-scale AV, bridging the gap between stakeholder involvement and the key factors for assessing the commercial potential. The practical implications of this study primarily involve the solar energy sector, yet deemed to be of value to all potential stakeholders within the ecosystem of AV. Limitations & future research - The limitations of this study includes the potential exclusion of stakeholders within the data collection process due to the complex stakeholder configuration of AV, as well as the geographical constraints limiting this study to the context of Sweden. Future research is encouraged within several fields of this novel research area, predominantly including stakeholder involvement, business model configuration and how to mobilize the synergy sought in technology development between the solar energy- and agricultural sector.

The increasing energy demand, combined with the use of harmful non-renewable energy sources calls for the search of alternative methods to cover our energy need.Renewable energy can be harvested in different ways, through the movement of wind and water, biomass, or directly from the rays of the sun, as in the case of photovoltaic (PV) devices. Whilst crystalline silicon (c-Si) is the most common absorber used for solar cells, other technologies are emerging. Solar cells with copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) as an absorber have the possibility of being flexible, which is an advantage due to the many more application possibilities that appear compared to the rigid and heavy c-Si solar cells. CIGS solar cells have some long-term stability issues, especially regarding ingression of atmospheric species through the front contact layer. This calls for further research in the front contact of the CIGS solar cell, exploring alternative materials to prevent degradation. The front contact of a solar cell must be both optically transparent and conduct electricity. Transparent conductive oxides (TCO) are materials characterized by the ability to conduct electricity, while also possessing a certain degree of optical transparency. The combination of conductivity and transparency makes TCOs ideal as front contacts in solar cells. A very common TCO for front contacts in CIGS solar cells is aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) due to its low cost, good electrical conductivity and optical transparency. Because of its low resistance to degradation in humid environments more robust TCO alternatives, such as indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), are being investigated. Indium-doped tin oxide possesses similar electrical and optical properties as AZO, but better stability in humid environments.The ITO was deposited through RF magnetron sputtering, on a glass substrate to be able to measure optical properties. Initially, experiments focusing on oxygen content in the deposition atmosphere were done, together with a reproducibility experiment. This gave useful information about sputtering parameters and stability of the deposition. Thereon, an experiment was done varying three parameters: oxygen content in deposition atmosphere, sputtering power and temperature of substrate. A statistical software was used to analyze the data, identifying the effects of the changing parameters. The best performing samples were made with an oxygen content of 0,4-0,6 vol%. A high sensibility for oxygen in the system was also observed, as a result of the initial reproducibility experiments. This led to the introduction of a sacrificial deposition step after the machine had been shut down. Optimal substrate temperature was around 150°Cand it was not possible to go higher due to sensibility of the underlying solar cell layers.A lower threshold for the film thickness, located somewhere between 125 and 175 nm, was observed. Films with thickness below this threshold experienced a large resistivityincrease. Further depositions with higher oxygen content are advised to see if the properties of the films further improve.

The thesis work was done as a part of the company's proposal writing work for the Horizon Europe projects, which is the European Union's key funding program for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. The budget for this project call was €5 million and aimed towards demonstrating the possibilities of Photovoltaic thermal technologies (PVT), which will produce heat and electricity at the same time on agricultural land to combat climate change. The initial stage of the project, which the thesis work corresponds to, consists of the concept of implementing the objectives of the call and demonstrating how it could be achieved by forming a consortium of different companies, allocating the sites, possible applications of the PVT technology, understanding the plants which can grow in the relevant climate conditions under the shading of the panels. There are different companies who participate in the project call and, if they succeed, are liable to demonstrate the objectives of the call under the allocated budget and share the results with the European Union. The thesis work tried to focus on the company's objective for the call, which was to find out the suitable crops to be planted under the integrated PVT greenhouses, details on the weather conditions and applications of heat and electricity on the demonstration sites, i.e., Greece and Portugal. The emphasis was also given to creating a business canvas model and doing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis to make a business plan for this project. In this project, an Absolicon X10 PVT collector has been proposed with thermal heat up to 75 ºC and electricity at 230V. The outcomes also showed that each PVT collector integrated into the greenhouse could produce 4.73 MWh/year of thermal energy and can supply 2.2 MWh/year of electrical energy, which can save up to 0.48 tons/year of oil equivalent and avoid 37.6 tons of CO2 emissions during its lifetime of 25 years compared to burning oil. Considering the weather conditions in Greece and Portugal and to make sure the plants do not need much shading, tomatoes, barley and cacao seeds were identified as the potential crops to be planted in the PVT-integrated greenhouses.

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