Designers of power electronic converters usually face the challenge of having multiple performance indices that must be simultaneously optimized, such as maximizing efficiency while minimizing mass or maximizing reliability while minimizing cost. The experienced engineer applies his or her judgment to reduce the number of possible designs to a manageable number of feasible designs for which to prototype and test; thus, the optimality of this design-space reduction is directly dependent upon the experience, and expertise and biases of the designer. The practitioner is familiar with tradeoff analysis; however, simple tradeoff studies can become difficult or even intractable if multiple metrics are considered. Hence a scientific and systematic approach is needed. In this dissertation, a multi-objective optimization framework is presented as a design tool. Optimization of power electronic converters is certainly not a new subject. However, when limited to off-the-shelf components, the resulting system is really optimized only over the set of commercially available components, which may represent only a subset of the design space; the reachable space limited by available components and technologies. While this approach is suited to cost-reduce an existing design, it offers little insight into design possibilities for greenfield projects. Instead, this work uses the Technology Characterization Methods (TCM) to broaden the reachable design space by considering fundamental component attributes. The result is the specification for the components that create the optimal design rather than an evaluation of an apriori selected set of candidate components. A unique outcome of this approach is that new technology development vectors may emerge to develop optimized components for the optimized power converter. The approach presented in this work uses a mathematical descriptive language to abstract the characteristics and attributes of the components used in a power electronic converter in a way suitable for multi-objective and constrained optimization methods. This dissertation will use Technology Characterization Methods (TCM) to bridge the gap between high-level performance attributes and low-level design attributes where direct relationship between these two does not currently exist. The loss and size models for inductors, capacitors, IGBTs, MOSFETs and heat sinks will be used to form objective functions for the multi-objective optimization problem. A single phase IGBT-based inverter is optimized for efficiency and volume based on the component models derived using TCM. Comparing the obtained designs to a design, which can be made from commercial off-the-shelf components, shows that converter design can be optimized beyond what is possible from using only off-the-shelf components. A module-integrated photovoltaic inverter is also optimized for efficiency, volume and reliability. An actual converter is constructed using commercial off-the-shelf components. The converter design is chosen as close as possible to a point obtained by optimization. Experimental results show that the converter modeling is accurate. A new approach for evaluation of efficiency in photovoltaic converter is also proposed and the front-end portion of a photovoltaic converter is optimized for this efficiency, as well as reliability and volume.

The usage of conventional energy applications generates disproportionate emissions of greenhouse gases and the consumption of part of the energy resources available in the world. It has become an important problem which has serious effects on the climatic change. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce these emissions as much as possible. To be able to achieve this, renewable energy technologies must be used instead of conventional energy applications. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technologies do not release greenhouse gas emissions directly and can save more than 30 million tonnes of carbon per exajoule of electricity generated relative to a natural gas turbine running at 45% efficiency. Shadowing is one of the most important aspects that affects the performance of PV systems. Consequently, many investigations through this topic are being done in order to develop new technologies which mitigate the impact of shadowing during PV production. In order to minimise the impact of shadowing it is desired to be able to predict the performance of a system with PV-modules during shadowing. In this thesis a simulation program for calculating the IV-curve for series connected PV-modules during partial shadowing has been developed and experimentally validated. PV systems modelling and simulation in LTspice environment has been presented and validated by means of a comparative analysis with the experimental results obtained in a set of tests performed in the laboratory of Gävle University. Experimental measurements were carried out in two groups. The first group corresponds with the experiments done in the string of six modules with bypass diodes while the measurements of the second group have been performed on a single PV module at HIG University. The simulation results of both groups demonstrated a remarkable agreement with the experimental data, which means that the model designed at LTspice supposes a very useful tool that can be used to study the performance of PV systems. This tool contributes to the investigations in this topic and it aims to benefit future installations providing a better knowledge of the shading problem. The master’s thesis shows an in-depth description of the required method to design a PV cell, a PV module and a PV array using LTspice IV and the input parameters as well as the needed tests to adjust the models. Moreover, it has been carried out a pedagogical study describing the effect that different shadow configurations have in the performance of solar cells. This study facilitates the understanding of the performance of PV modules under different shadowing effects. Lastly, it has also been discussed the benefits of installing some newer technologies, like DC-DC optimizers or module inverters, to mitigate the shadowing effects. The main conclusion about this topic has been that although most of the times the output power will be increased with the use of optimizers sometimes the optimizer does not present any benefits.

La remise en question du mode de développement des sociétés humaines a, sur ces 40 dernières années, profondément transformé le contexte énergétique mondial, instaurant alors un nouveau cadre politique permettant l’essor spectaculaire des énergies renouvelables. Par ailleurs, si l’électricité apparaît comme un vecteur fondamental du développement humain, le contexte des populations majoritairement rurales d’Afrique subsaharienne incite à la recherche d’alternatives énergétiques adaptées. En substance, si les ressources renouvelables peuvent répondre de manière pertinente au défi de l’électrification décentralisée des zones rurales de la région, elles doivent également représenter une solution technique et économique crédible, avant d’être politique.La République de Djibouti, petit pays situé dans la corne de l’Afrique, symbolise parfaitement le défi socio-énergétique de l’ensemble de la région, et des populations rurales en particulier. Avec un pays pauvre en ressources traditionnelles mais présentant a priori un gisement solaire intéressant, nous avons alors privilégié l’étude des systèmes photovoltaïques (PV) dans le cadre de l’électrification décentralisée des populations rurales du pays. Comme d’autres ressources, ces systèmes, bien que reposant sur une technologie relativement ancienne, ont réellement pris leur essor au début des années 2000 avec les mesures incitatives du Protocole de Kyoto.Évaluer la pertinence de la technologie photovoltaïque nécessitait, dans un premier temps, d’estimer le niveau et la répartition de la ressource solaire au sein du pays. Pour cela, nous avons construit un atlas de l’irradiation solaire horaire incidente sur le territoire, pour la période 2008-2011, à partir d’un modèle satellitaire de rayonnement. Afin de valider les estimations issues de cet atlas, nous les avons comparées aux mesures in situ relevées par deux stations météorologiques temporaires déployées, entre 2010 et 2013, sur quatre sites présentant des caractéristiques distinctes. Finalement, la carte annuelle extraite de l’atlas a confirmé que le gisement solaire du pays, avec une irradiation moyenne de 5,87kWh/m² par jour, constituait l’un des plus importants au monde.Si les modèles utilisant des données satellitaires permettent de retrouver le flux solaire incident au sol, ils ne tiennent en revanche pas compte des effets du relief local sur ce dernier. Ainsi, afin de tenir compte des effets d’ombrage engendré par le terrain, nous avons développé une procédure dite de désagrégation, couplant l’utilisation d’un maillage numérique d’altitude aux cartes de rayonnement issues du modèle satellite. Pour ce faire, nous avons élaboré un modèle théorique pour retrouver l’horizon autour d’un point donné, et validé celui-ci à l’aide d’une campagne de mesures topographiques en Corse. En corrigeant ensuite le rayonnement à l’aide de cet horizon pour chaque pixel du maillage d’altitude, nous avons pu enrichir le niveau de l’information fournie par la cartographie de l’irradiation globale.Bien que le gisement solaire soit l’indicateur principal du potentiel photovoltaïque, il est également nécessaire de considérer des paramètres secondaires, éléments de technologie et caractéristiques environnementales, qui permettent d’évaluer avec précision l’énergie électrique produite par un système PV quelconque. En combinant l’utilisation de différents modèles, nous avons ainsi pu intégrer à l’estimation finale du productible l’influence du rayonnement et de la température sur le rendement de conversion d’un module photovoltaïque. Nous avons ainsi construit une cartographie du productible PV qui, couplée à une évaluation multicritère de la pertinence de la technologie PV vis-à-vis des alternatives énergétiques classiques en matière d’électrification rurale, est destinée à faciliter la prise de décision pour les différents acteurs, publics ou privés, du domaine de l’énergie. / Over the 40 past years, growth of renewable energies benefited of the new world energy frame, which resulted of the questioning about what development of human societies had to be. Furthermore, although human development comes with electricity, the rural condition of many populations of sub-Saharan Africa incites us to look for suitable power supply alternatives. Eventually, in this specific context, renewable energies can represent a reliable solution to the off-grid electrification of rural peoples. However, this solution has to be economical and technical, and not only political.The Republic of Djibouti is a little developing country located in the Horn of Africa which perfectly symbolizes the social and energy challenges of rural populations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Instability and limitation of the existing electrical grid, fuel cost and lack of fossil resources point to the geographically diffused solar resource as probably the best way to improve human development and reduce poverty of Djiboutian rural peoples. Therefore, we have considered the study of photovoltaic (PV) systems within the rural off-grid electrification frame.Firstly, in order to evaluate relevance of these systems, it was necessary to estimate level and repartition of the solar resource across the country. So we developed a solar atlas, i.e. cartography of the hourly solar irradiation reaching the ground, based on satellite-derived irradiance estimates retrieved between 2008 and 2011. For assessing the atlas quality, we compared irradiation estimates with ground measures retrieved on 4 different sites by 2 temporary weather stations deployed between 2010 and 2013. Finally, yearly map extracted from the atlas showed that, with a daily mean irradiation of 5,87kWh/m².day, the solar potential of Djibouti is one of the most significant in the world.Satellite models are useful for determining solar irradiance at ground level but they don’t take into account local topography effects. In order to incorporate these shading effects to the satellite-derived irradiance maps, and so improve irradiance accuracy and spatial resolution, we used a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Firstly, this disaggregation process was based on the development of a new fast horizon algorithm which was assessed by means of topographic measures in Corsica Island. Then, by correcting irradiance with this horizon for each pixel of the DEM, we improved geographic information of the solar irradiation atlas.Although solar resource is the first indicator of the photovoltaic potential, other elements, as environmental parameters or endogenous characteristics of photovoltaic modules, also have to be taken into consideration for precisely estimating energy produced by a PV system. Hence, by means of different models, we evaluated influence of irradiance and temperature onto the conversion efficiency of a PV generator to finally retrieve the atlas of the PV potential across the country. In conclusion, by combining this cartography to a multi-criteria approach comparing relevance between PV systems and classical power supply systems within the rural electrification scheme, we developed the first photovoltaic decision making tool of the country intended for all officials who are acting in the energy field.

Orientador: Antonio Cesar Germano Martins / Resumo: Nos últimos anos a energia solar fotovoltaica tem mostrado forte crescimento dentre as fontes renováveis em várias partes do mundo. O Brasil vem discutindo mais intensamente desde 2012 formas de incentivo para a inserção da energia solar fotovoltaica bem como a adequação do modelo centralizado e distribuído na matriz elétrica nacional. Para contribuir com esta discussão, neste trabalho foi realizado um levantamanto de informações a respeito destes dois modelos a partir de consultas à livros, artigos, periódicos, sites e reportagens. Os resultados dessas pesquisas foram agrupados e consolidados em gráficos, tabelas e quadros que permitiram a avaliação das perspectivas da energia solar fotovoltaica no Brasil, identificando os principais aspectos dos dois modelos de geração, levando-se em consideração suas características distintas e relacionadas à geração, distribuição e consumo salientando-se as vantagens e desvantagens segundo critérios ambientais, econômicos; sociais e técnicos. As análises dos materiais constituintes da pesquisa denotam que, no caso do Brasil, os dois modelos progridem de maneira complementar, porém necessitam de políticas governamentais mais eficazes para as suas implementações de forma ampla e significativa na matriz energética nacional. / Mestre

Este trabalho apresenta um conversor CC - CC baseado em Capacitores Chaveados de 6 fases e tempos intercalados com o objetivo de coletar energia fotovoltaica projetado em tecnologia CMOS de 130 nm para ser usado em aplicações em Internet das Coisas e Nós Sensores. Ele rastreia o máximo ponto de entrega de energia de um painel fotovoltaico policristalino de 3 cm x 3 cm através de modulação da frequência de chaveamento com o objetivo de carregar baterias. A razão da tensão de circuito aberto foi a estratégia de rastreio escolhida. O conversor foi projetado em uma tecnologia CMOS de 130 nm e alcança uma eficiência de 90 % para potencias de entrada maiores do que 30 mW e pode operar com tensões que vão de 1.25 até 1.8 V, resultando em saídas que vão de 2.5 até 3.6, respectivamente. Os circuitos periféricos também incluem uma proteção contra sobre tensão na saída de 3.6 V e circuitos para controle, que consomem um total máximo de potência estática de 850 A em 3.3 V de alimentação. O layout completo ocupa uma área de 300 x 700 m2 de silício. Os únicos componentes não integrados são 6x100 nF capacitores.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Federico Bernardino Morante Trigoso / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Energia, 2014. / Neste trabalho se determinou a viabilidade do uso de sistemas de iluminação LED em sistemas fotovoltaicos domiciliários (SFD) instalados em áreas rurais, considerando parâmetros econômicos e luminotécnicos como iluminância, fluxo luminoso, consumo de energia e custos iniciais tanto dos SFD's como dos sistemas de iluminação LED. A análise da variação dos custos iniciais do sistema fotovoltaico foi realizada através de uma simulação realizada no programa Homer Energy. O uso deste programa permitiu determinar como se modificaria o dimensionamento dos SFD's e o consumo de energia com a inserção dos sistemas de iluminação LED. Deste trabalho se conclui que dependendo da perspectiva avaliada, custo inicial do sistema de iluminação LED ou custo e uso do excedente de energia gerado pela troca de tecnologia, seria viável ou não a inserção de sistemas de iluminação LED em SFD's. Já para a análise comparativo das características luminotécnicas entre os sistemas de iluminação LED e as lâmpadas CFL se utilizou o programa DIALux. Por outro lado, devido à falta de estudos que abordaram transversalmente os impactos ambientais e socioeconômicos gerados pelas lâmpadas CFL e LED se considerou importante identifica-los. Desta análise se conclui que estes impactos dependem de fatores como a localização geográfica, renda mensal e acesso à tecnologia, materiais de fabricação das lâmpadas entre outros. Além disso, deduz-se que os resultados apresentados nesta dissertação mudariam drasticamente se esta análise fosse realizada em áreas urbanas. / This work established the feasibility of using LED lighting systems for home-based photovoltaic systems (SFD) installed in rural areas, considering economic and lighting parameters as luminance, luminous flux, energy consumption and initial costs of both systems as SFD's LED lighting. The variation of the initial cost of the PV system was performed through a simulation in Homer Energy program. The use of this program has allowed to determine how to modify the design of SFD's power consumption with the inclusion of LED lighting systems. This work is concluded that depending on the perspective assessed, initial cost of LED lighting or cost and use of excess energy generated by the exchange of technology system would be viable or not the inclusion of LED lighting systems in SFD's. As for the comparative analysis of lighting characteristics of lighting systems LED and CFL lamps are used the DIALux program. Moreover, due to the lack of studies that have focused in the environmental and socioeconomic impacts generated by CFL and LED lamps was considered important to identify them. This analysis concludes that these impacts depend on factors such as geographic location, monthly income and access to technology, materials and other manufacturing lamps. Furthermore, it appears that the results presented in this thesis would change dramatically if this analysis were conducted in urban areas.

Orientador: Luís Carlos Origa de Oliveira / Resumo: Na busca de soluções inovadoras para atender o aumento da demanda de consumo de energia elétrica, as fontes de energia de natureza fotovoltaica tem sido um dos principais pilares deste seguimento. São fontes intrinsicamente renováveis e o impacto sobre o meio ambiente resultante dos processos de produção de energia elétrica é praticamente desprezível, contribuindo de forma inequívoca para a sustentabilidade do planeta. Neste cenário, a expansão das aplicações de geradores fotovoltaicos é notável em praticamente todas as regiões industrializadas no mundo e, em alguns casos, já representa uma parcela significativa dos insumos energéticos de países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento. Apesar dos benefícios proporcionados pelo crescente uso desta tecnologia, em geral, as redes elétricas de distribuição de energia em operação, não foram planejadas para incorporar esta geração distribuída, em larga escala. Estudos recentes revelam que 10% de penetração de sistemas fotovoltaicos em relação a demanda da rede já pode causar impactos relevantes sobre o comportamento do sistema elétrico, sobretudo no tocante à regulação de tensão. Neste contexto, este trabalho tem por meta investigar as condições operacionais de redes de distribuição de energia, sob a influência de sistema fotovoltaico com relação aos impactos produzidos no perfil de tensão dos alimentadores. Assim, na perspectiva dos diferentes procedimentos convencionais utilizados para adequação dos níveis de tensão, discute-se a apli... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In the search for innovative solutions to meet the increasing demand for electricity consumption, photovoltaic energy sources have been one of the main pillars of this follow-up. They are intrinsically renewable sources and the impact on the environment resulting from the processes of electric power production is practically negligible, contributing unequivocally to the sustainability of the planet. In this scenario, the expansion of photovoltaic applications is notable in practically every industrialized region in the world, and in some cases already represents a significant share of the energy inputs of developed and developing countries. Despite the benefits provided by the growing use of this technology, in general, power distribution networks in operation were not planned to incorporate this distributed generation on a large scale. Recent studies show that 10% penetration of photovoltaic systems in relation to the demand of the grid can already have a significant impact on the behavior of the electrical system, especially in relation to voltage regulation. In this context, this work aims to investigate the operational conditions of power distribution networks under the influence of photovoltaic system in relation to the impacts produced on the voltage profile of the feeders. Thus, in the perspective of the different conventional procedures used to adjust the voltage levels, the applicability of some possible solutions is discussed, based on the R / X ratio behavior in th... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Este trabalho apresenta um conversor CC - CC baseado em Capacitores Chaveados de 6 fases e tempos intercalados com o objetivo de coletar energia fotovoltaica projetado em tecnologia CMOS de 130 nm para ser usado em aplicações em Internet das Coisas e Nós Sensores. Ele rastreia o máximo ponto de entrega de energia de um painel fotovoltaico policristalino de 3 cm x 3 cm através de modulação da frequência de chaveamento com o objetivo de carregar baterias. A razão da tensão de circuito aberto foi a estratégia de rastreio escolhida. O conversor foi projetado em uma tecnologia CMOS de 130 nm e alcança uma eficiência de 90 % para potencias de entrada maiores do que 30 mW e pode operar com tensões que vão de 1.25 até 1.8 V, resultando em saídas que vão de 2.5 até 3.6, respectivamente. Os circuitos periféricos também incluem uma proteção contra sobre tensão na saída de 3.6 V e circuitos para controle, que consomem um total máximo de potência estática de 850 A em 3.3 V de alimentação. O layout completo ocupa uma área de 300 x 700 m2 de silício. Os únicos componentes não integrados são 6x100 nF capacitores.

Submitted by Lucienne Costa (lucienneferreira@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-04-17T17:28:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RENATA GUEDES DE ALMEIDA RIBEIRO – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGEE) 2017.pdf: 1632479 bytes, checksum: 9b29fe9df4e8998b598b4b1a8fefacb0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-17T17:28:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RENATA GUEDES DE ALMEIDA RIBEIRO – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGEE) 2017.pdf: 1632479 bytes, checksum: 9b29fe9df4e8998b598b4b1a8fefacb0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02 / CNPq / Um algoritmo de enxame de partículas foi aplicado para determinar os locais ótimos de instalação de unidades geradoras fotovoltaicas, visando redução das perdas de potência no sistema de distribuição, as quais foram calculadas pelo método da soma das correntes. O estudo considerou o índice de radiação solar e a temperatura local, o que diferencia este trabalho de outros encontrados na literatura especializada no tema. O algoritmo foi validado tomando como referência a técnica de busca exaustiva e o seu desempenho avaliado em um sistema-teste de 36-barras, no qual três fontes fotovoltaicas foram inseridas. Análise minuciosa dos resultados mostrou que o algoritmo proposto conseguiu estimar os ótimos locais para instalação das fontes fotovoltaicas. / A particle swarm algorithm (PSO) is used to determine the optimal placement for the installation of photovoltaic generators, aiming to reduce the power loss in distribution systems, which are calculated by the sum of currents method (MSI). The solar radiation index and the local temperature are considered, what distinguish this work from others found on specialized literature about the theme. The algorithm was validated using the exhaustive search technique as a reference and its performance was evaluated in a 36-bus test system, in which three photovoltaic sources were included. The rigorous analysis of the results showed that the proposed algorithm achieved its purpose to estimate de optimal placement for the installation of photovoltaic sources.

Este trabalho apresenta um conversor CC - CC baseado em Capacitores Chaveados de 6 fases e tempos intercalados com o objetivo de coletar energia fotovoltaica projetado em tecnologia CMOS de 130 nm para ser usado em aplicações em Internet das Coisas e Nós Sensores. Ele rastreia o máximo ponto de entrega de energia de um painel fotovoltaico policristalino de 3 cm x 3 cm através de modulação da frequência de chaveamento com o objetivo de carregar baterias. A razão da tensão de circuito aberto foi a estratégia de rastreio escolhida. O conversor foi projetado em uma tecnologia CMOS de 130 nm e alcança uma eficiência de 90 % para potencias de entrada maiores do que 30 mW e pode operar com tensões que vão de 1.25 até 1.8 V, resultando em saídas que vão de 2.5 até 3.6, respectivamente. Os circuitos periféricos também incluem uma proteção contra sobre tensão na saída de 3.6 V e circuitos para controle, que consomem um total máximo de potência estática de 850 A em 3.3 V de alimentação. O layout completo ocupa uma área de 300 x 700 m2 de silício. Os únicos componentes não integrados são 6x100 nF capacitores.