Neste trabalho é proposto o desenvolvimento de um novo microinversor de estágio único para aplicação em sistemas fotovoltaicos. A topologia apresentada é baseada na combinação do conversor Cuk com uma estrutura de indutores chaveados para obtenção de um maior ganho estático e um circuito inversor em ponte completa conectado à rede. A estrutura de indutores chaveados apresentada nesse trabalho reduz esforços de tensão e corrente nas chaves semicondutoras. Com o objetivo de facilitar o controle, a etapa CC do microinversor opera em modo de condução descontínua (DCM). Para injetar corrente senoidal com baixa distorção harmônica à rede, é aplicado às chaves semicondutoras da etapa CC uma modulação por largura de pulso senoidal (SPWM). As chaves semicondutoras do circuito inversor em ponte completa são comandadas na frequência da rede, reduzindo perdas por chaveamento. Por se tratar de uma topologia inédita, são apresentados os modos de operação e a análise matemática do conversor CC-CC Cuk com alto ganho estático. Posteriormente, são realizadas a análise teórica e a estratégia de controle do microinversor proposto. Os resultados experimentais são expostos para discutir o funcionamento da topologia proposta, através de simulações e da implementação de um protótipo de 180 W. / The development of a novel single stage microinverter is proposed. The presented topology is based on the combination of the Cuk converter with a switched inductor structure to obtain a higher static gain, and a full-bridge inverter circuit. The presented switched inductor structure reduces voltage and current stresses on the power switches. In order of simplify the control, the stage CC of the microinverter operate in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). To inject sinusoidal current with low harmonic distortion to the grid, a sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) is applied in the power switches. The switches of the full-bridge invertes are commanded in low frequency, in order to reduce switching losses. Operation modes and math analysis of the novel CC-CC converter are presented. Moreover, the math analysis and control strategy of proposed microinverter topology are exposed. Furthermore, experimental results are performed to analyze the proposed topology operation, by software simulations and implementation of a 180 W prototype.

CAPES / A preocupação em alcançar o desenvolvimento sustentável está cada vez mais presente na construção civil, sendo este o setor que mais contribui com os maiores níveis de emissões de gases de efeito estufa, devido ao grande consumo de energia e recursos naturais. Adicionalmente, os edifícios despendem de uma grande quantidade energética para aplicações cotidianas e em muitos países, as fontes são provenientes de fontes não-renováveis, causando dependência de combustíveis fósseis e consequentemente elevação nos índices de emissões de CO2. Portanto, as “transições de sustentabilidade” mediante a aplicação de novos sistemas de energia renováveis, os quais apresentam emissões reduzidas, como por exemplo, a energia solar fotovoltaica, viabilizam essa mudança. Essa fonte de energia está cada vez mais presente na matriz energética mundial, seja pela aplicação de usinas fotovoltaicas de grande porte ou por meio de usinas geradoras de mini e microgeração incorporada às edificações, atuando como geração distribuída inserida no meio urbano. Neste sentido, este trabalho tem por objetivo contribuir com redução da demanda, com a eficiência energética e a quantificação das emissões de CO2 equivalente que podem ser evitadas com a energia gerada, por meio da utilização da energia fotovoltaica na UTFPR – câmpus Curitiba. A metodologia consiste na análise dos parâmetros de irradiação local horizontal e inclinada coletados por meio do portal do INMET, do Atlas Brasileiro de Energia Solar e do Piranômetro da UTFPR para aplicação do software Radiasol. Por sua vez, efetuouse o estudo do perfil de cargas da instituição, a fim de identificar os momentos de maiores consumo e demanda por energia elétrica, através da seleção de dias típicos elencados no decorrer do ano. A análise das coberturas possibilitou o levantamento de áreas disponíveis e análise de sombreamento, e através dos dados gerados pelos Sistemas Fotovoltaicos Conectados à Rede existentes foram elaborados cenários, objetivando a contribuição energética do câmpus. Por fim, foram calculados os níveis de penetração energéticos, bem como o fator efetivo de capacidade de carga, quantificando o aumento da capacidade disponível da rede elétrica atribuída à geração fotovoltaica e as respectivas emissões evitadas. Os resultados obtidos mostram que a UTFPR - câmpus Curitiba apresenta um vasto potencial para a geração de energia fotovoltaica, sendo que a instituição poderia alocar um sistema com potência instalada total de 3,25 MW, e gerar um total anual de energia de 4,37 GWh. Com relação ao nível de penetração energético total calculado, obteve-se 489,97%, o que significa a ocorrência de injeção do excedente de energia fotogerada no sistema elétrico. Pode-se concluir que além da possibilidade de redução de custos com energia elétrica, existiria uma redução significativa nas emissões de GEE’s referentes ao cálculo de CO2 podendo evitar a emissão de 284,43 tCO2 ao ano. / The concern of achieving sustainable development is increasingly present in civil construction, which is the sector that shows the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions due to its high consumption of energy and natural resources. Buildings use a large amount of energy in their day-to-day use, and in many countries this energy comes from non-renewable sources, causing dependence on fossil fuels and consequently increasing CO2 emissions."Sustainable transitions" make change possible through the application of new renewable energy systems, which present reduced emissions, e.g. solar photovoltaic energy. This energy source is increasingly present in the global energy matrix, both in large-scale photovoltaic plants and smalland micro-generation incorporated into buildings, acting as distributed generation in urban environments. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to a reduction in demand, with energy efficiency and to the quantification of equivalent CO2 emissions that could be avoided with energy generated through the use of photovoltaic energy at UTFPR’s Curitiba campus. The methodology consists of the analysis of horizontal and inclined local irradiation parameters collected through the INMET portal, the Brazilian Solar Energy Atlas and the piranometer at UTFPR, and in the application of the software Radiasol. The study of the load profile of the institution was carried out in order to identify periods of greater consumption and demand for electric energy, through the selection of typical days during the year. The analysis of the coverages allowed the survey of available areas and a shading analysis. Through the data generated by the existing grid-connected photovoltaic system, scenarios were elaborated to model the energy contribution of the three campus. Finally, the energy penetration levels and the effectiveness factor of the load capacity were calculated quantifying the increase of the available capacity of the electricity grid, attributed to the photovoltaic generation, as well as the respective emissions avoided. The results show that the Curitiba campus of UTFPR have a vast potential for the generation of photovoltaic energy, and the institution could allocate a system with a total installed power of 3.25 MW, generating an annual total of 4.37 GWh of energy. The calculated total energy penetration level of 489.97% was obtained, which implies the injection of a surplus of photo-generated energy into the electric system. It can be concluded that besides the possibility of reducing electricity costs, there would be a significant reduction in GHG emissions calculated at 284.43 tCO2 per year.

In recent years, photovoltaic (PV) power production have seen an increase and the PV power systems are often located in the distribution grids close to the consumers. Since the distributions grids rarely are designed for power production, investigation of its effects is needed. It is seen in this thesis that PV power production will cause voltages to rise, potentially to levels exceeding the limits that grid owners have to abide by. A model of a distribution grid is developed in MathWorks MATLAB. The model contains a transformer, cables, households, energy storage systems (ESS:s) and photovoltaic power systems. The system is simulated by implementing a numerical Forward Backward Sweep Method, solving for powers, currents and voltages in the grid. PV power systems are added in different configurations along with different configurations of ESS:s. The results are analysed, primarily concerning voltages and voltage limits. It is concluded that addition of PV power production in the distribution grid affects voltages, more or less depending on where in the grid the systems are placed and what peak power they have. It is also concluded that having energy storage systems in the grid, changing the power factor of the inverter for the PV systems or lowering the transformer secondary-side voltage can bring the voltages down. / På senare tid har det skett en ökning i antalet solcellsanläggningar som installeras i elnätet och dessa är ofta placerade i distributionsnäten nära hushållen. Eftersom distributionsnäten sällan är dimensionerade för produktion så behöver man utreda effekten av det. I det här arbetet visas det att solcellsproduktion kommer att öka spänningen i elnätet, potentiellt så mycket att de gränser elnätsägarna måste hålla nätet inom överstigs. En modell över lågspänningsnätet skapas i MathWorks MATLAB. Modellen innehåller transformator, kablar, hushåll, energilager och solcellsanläggningar. Systemet simuleras med hjälp av en numerisk Forward Backward Sweep-lösare som beräknar effekter, strömmar och spänningar i elnätet. Solcellanläggningarna placeras ut i elnätet i olika konfigurationer tillsammans med olika konfigurationer av energilager. Resultaten från simuleringarna analyseras främst med avseende på spänningen i elnätet utifrån dess gränser. De slutsatser som dras i arbetet är att solcellsproduktion kommer att påverka spänningen, mycket beroende på var i elnätet anläggningarna placeras och storleken hos dem. Det visas också att energilager, justering av effektfaktor hos solcellsanläggningarna eller en spänningssänkning på transformatorns lågspänningssida kan få ner spänningen i elnätet. / <p>LiTH-ISY-EX--19/5194--SE</p>

The major contribution of this dissertation is the development of a new integrated measurement and control system for intermixed biogas and photovoltaic systems to achieve safe and optimal energy usage. Literature and field studies show that existing control methods fall short of comprehensive system optimization and fault diagnosis, hence the need to re-look these control methods. The control strategy developed in this dissertation is a considerable enhancement on existing strategies as it incorporates intelligent fuzzy logic algorithms based on C source codes developed on the MPLABX programming environment. Measurements centered on the PIC18F4550 microcontroller were carried out on existing biogas and photovoltaic installations. The designed system was able to accurately predict digester stability, quantify biogas output and carry out biogas fault detection and control. Optimized battery charging and photovoltaic fault detection and control was also successfully implemented. The system optimizes the operation and performance of biogas and photovoltaic energy generation. / Electrical Engineering / M. Tech. (Electrical Engineering)

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / Solar energy development is experiencing significant growth due to national interest in increasing energy efficiency, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, increasing domestic energy production, and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Northern Cape is generally known to be one of the preferred areas for the generation of solar energy in South Africa, and even in the world, due to its abundant solar radiation. Although this area has abundant potential for solar power generation, not all the areas are suitable for construction of solar plant facilities especially those that are prone to sand storm and dust accumulation. Consequently, site evaluation is very crucial for planning, design and construction of the solar facility. The main objective of this study was to determine the suitability of a proposed site at Kakamas in the Northern Cape for construction of a photovoltaic solar facility. The specific objectives of this research were to assess and establish all the geotechnical aspects that may have an impact on the development of the site, to explore the surface conditions at the proposed site and to establish the soil properties and comment on the use of the on-site soils in the construction of the solar facility. Other specific objectives included to determine the variability of ground conditions and effects of such variability on the proposed development and to provide foundation recommendations for the design and construction of the solar facility. In order to obtain this information, methods such as desktop studies, geological survey, soil survey, magnetic survey and soil profiling were employed to obtain information about the geotechnical aspects of the study area and properties of the on-site soil. Field tests such as cone penetration and resistivity survey and laboratory tests such as foundation indicator test, California Bearing Ratio, pH and permeability test were also performed in order to determine the engineering, behavioral and hydraulic properties of the soil. The results of the geologic and magnetic survey indicated that the study area is underlain by mainly igneous and metamorphic rocks such as gneiss, quartzite, pegmatite, gneiss and calcrete. The results of the soil profiling and the resistivity survey showed that the study area is comprised of sandy soil with either two or three horizons while the cone penetration results revealed high variable soil consistency and stiffness which ranged from very loose to very stiff soils. The particle size distribution, atterberg limits and grading modulus indicated that the study area is characterized mainly by dry, cohesionless and non-plastic to slightly plastic coarse-grained sandy soil with sand content ranging from 71- 96%. From the CBR results, it was found that the soils in the study area generally classifies as G6 material and can be used as base, sub base and backfilling material in accordance with the TRH 14 specifications. The permeability test results indicated moderately permeable sandy silt soils with coefficient of permeability ranging between 1x10-3 to 8x10-3 cm/sec and ground water was encountered at 1.3 m depth. The material excavatability indicated variable material on site ranging from soft calcretes with soft excavation to highly competent material such as quartz and dorbank which require hard excavation while the side wall stability of trial pits indicated stable pit walls during the investigation giving an indication of stability of long pit excavations. The foundation analysis showed that driven piles and earth screws are the ideal foundation types for this site and that the site is generally suitable for construction of the solar facility provided all the recommendations are implemented. / NRF

<p>  </p> <p>Organic-inorganic halide perovskites are at the brink of commercialization as the next generation of light-absorbing materials for solar energy harvesting devices. Perovskites have large absorption coefficients, long charge-carrier lifetimes and diffusion lengths, and a tunable absorption spectrum. Furthermore, these materials can be low-temperature solution-processed, which transfers to low-cost manufacturing and cost-competitive products. The remarkable material properties of perovskites enable a broad product-market fit, encompassing traditional and new applications for solar technology. Perovskites can be deposited on flexible substrates for flexible solar cells, applied in thermochromic windows for power generation and building cooling, or tuned for tandem solar cell application to include in high-performance solar panels. However, perovskites are intrinsically unstable, which has so far prevented their commercialization. Despite large research efforts, including over two thousand publications per year, perovskite solar cells degrade in under one year of operation. In a saturated research field, new ideas are needed to inspire alternative approaches to solve the perovskite stability problem. In this dissertation, we detail research efforts surrounding the concept of a self-healing perovskite solar cell.</p> <p>     A self-healing perovskite solar cell can be classified with two distinctions: mechanically healing and molecularly healing. First, mechanically self-healing involves the material’s ability to recover its intrinsic properties after mechanical damage such as tares, lacerations, or cracking. This type of healing was unique to the organic polymer community and ultra-rare in semiconducting materials. By combining a self-healing polymer with perovskite material, we developed a self-healing semiconducting perovskite composite material which can heal using synergistic grain growth and solid-state diffusion processes at slightly elevated temperatures. The material is demonstrated in flexible solar cells with improved bending durability and a power conversion efficiency reaching 10%. The addition of fluidic polymer enables macroscopic perovskite material movement, which is otherwise brittle and rigid. The results inspire the use of polymer scaffolds for mechanically self-healing solar cells.</p> <p>     The second type of healing, molecular healing, involves healing defects within the rigid crystal domains resulting from ion migration. The same phenomenon which leads to device degradation, also assists the recovery of the device performance after resting the device in the dark. During device operation, perovskite ions diffuse in the perovskite lattice and accumulate at the device interfaces where they undergo chemical reactions or leave the perovskite layer, ultimately consuming the perovskite precursors. The photovoltaic performance can be recovered if irreversible degradation is limited. Ideally, degradation and recovery can match day and night cycling to dramatically extend the lifetime of perovskite solar cells. In this dissertation, we introduce the application of chalcogenide chemistry in the fabrication of perovskite solar cells to control the thin film crystallization process, ultimately to reduce defects in the perovskite bulk and introduce surface functionality which extends the device stability. This new strategy will help improve molecularly self-healing perovskite solar cell by reducing irreversible degradation. Lastly, we present a few other new ideas to inspire future research in perovskite solar cells and assist in the commercialization of the next generation of photovoltaics.</p>

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The existing topologies of solar micro inverter use a number of stages before the DC input voltage can be converted to AC output voltage. These stages may contain one or more power converters. It may also contain a diode rectifier, transformer and filter. The number of active and passive components is very high. In this thesis, the design of a new solar micro inverter is proposed. This new micro inverter consists of a new single switch inverter which is obtained by modifying the already existing single ended primary inductor (SEPIC) DC-DC converter. This new inverter is capable of generating pure sinusoidal waveform from DC input voltage. The design and operation of the new inverter are studied in detail. This new inverter works with a controller to produce any kind of output waveform. The inverter is found to have four different modes of operation. The new inverter is modeled using state space averaging. The system is a fourth order system which is non-linear due to the inherent switching involved in the circuit. The system is linearized around an operating point to study the system as a linear system. The control to output transfer function of the inverter is found to be non-minimum phase. The transfer functions are studied using root locus. From the control perspective, the presence of right half zero makes the design of the controller structure complicated. The PV cell is modeled using the cell equations in MATLAB. A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is implemented to make sure the output power of the PV cell is always maximum which allows full utilization of the power from the PV cell. The perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm is the simplest and is used here. The use of this new inverter eliminates the various stages involved in the conventional solar micro inverter. Simulation and experimental results carried out on the setup validate the proposed structure of inverter.

Na busca por novas opções para a constituição da matriz energética brasileira, os Sistemas Fotovoltaicos Conectados à Rede Elétrica (SFVCR) configuram-se como uma alternativa para os centros urbanos, pois permitem a geração de energia de modo distribuído, ou seja, no próprio local onde esta será consumida e, permitem também, com que o excedente de energia produzido seja injetado na rede elétrica. Diante da perspectiva de instalar o SFVCR, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi o de elaborar um estudo específico, detalhado e atualizado sobre o potencial de geração de energia na cidade de Curitiba. Neste trabalho apresenta-se o estudo de caso de seis sistemas fotovoltaicos instalados em Curitiba, os quais tiveram seus Índices de Mérito – Produtividade, Taxa de Desempenho e Fator de Capacidade - avaliados, a partir dos dados de geração de energia elétrica destes sistemas, e dos dados de irradiação obtidos do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET). O estudo revelou que, até abril de 2017, o estado do Paraná possuía 810 SFVCR em operação, correspondendo a um total de 5MW e, a cidade de Curitiba 170 SFVCR – 865 kW em operação, sendo que 80% dos sistemas estão instalados em residências. Outro fato interessante é que 98% desses sistemas usam módulos com tecnologia de silício policristalino, 75% aplicam inversores monofásicos e, 95% desses inversores não possuem transformadores, pois dessa forma as perdas no processo de conversão são menores, além desses equipamentos serem mais compactos e possuírem tecnologia mais avançada do que os inversores com transformador. Constatou-se que a principal tendência do mercado de energia fotovoltaica é empregar inversores sem transformador. Além disso, os estudos realizados revelaram que a escolha do inversor e o modo de instalação dos painéis fotovoltaicos são fatores determinantes para maximizar o desempenho do sistema fotovoltaico. Os resultados desta pesquisa mostram a importante contribuição que os SFVCR podem trazer na geração de energia de modo distribuído e dessa forma, podem colaborar para a elaboração de políticas públicas com o intuito de incentivar projetos e pesquisas na área de energia fotovoltaica, visando à disseminação do uso dessa fonte renovável no país. / In the search for new options for the establishment of the energy matrix of Brazil, the Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems (SFVCR) are configured as an alternative to urban centers, because they allow the power generation at distributed mode, that is, generate energy at the place where it will be consumed and inject the surplus energy into the network. Faced with the prospect of installing Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System, the objective of this research is to characterize this type of photovoltaic system and also, analyze the results in terms of productivity parameters, such as Yield, Performance Ratio and Capacity Factor of six grid-connected systems that are installed in Curitiba. The radiation data used to calcute those parameters has been acquired from Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET). This paper highlight that the Parana state has 810 SFVCR (until April 2017) in operation, which stands for 5MW and Curitiba has 170 SFVCR, 865 kW in operation, and 80% of them are installed in residences. In addition, 98% of those systems use multicrystalline modules, 75% use single phase inverters and 95% of these use inverters transformerless, because the losses in the conversion process are reduced and the equipments are more compact and have more technology than the inverters with transformer. So, the main trend of photovoltaic energy market is to use transformerless inverters. The results obtained shows that the inverters’choice and the installation mode of the photovoltaic modules are important factors to maximize the photovoltaic system’s performance. In the end, the results demonstrates that the SFVCR contribute to distributed power generation and should be use in the elaboration of public policies with the purpose of encouraging projects and research in the photovoltaic energy’s area, aiming the dissemination of this renewable source of energy in Brazil.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This thesis presents a converter topology for photovoltaic panels. This topology minimizes the number of switching devices used, thereby reducing power losses that arise from high frequency switching operations. The control strategy is implemented using a simple micro-controller that implements the proportional plus integral control. All the control loops are closed feedback loops hence minimizing error instantaneously and adjusting efficiently to system variations. The energy management between three components, namely, the photovoltaic panel, a battery and a DC link for a microgrid, is shown distributed over three modes. These modes are dependent on the irradiance from the sunlight. All three modes are simulated. The maximum power point tracking of the system plays a crucial role in this configuration, as it is one of the main challenges tackled by the control system. Various methods of MPPT are discussed, and the Perturb and Observe method is employed and is described in detail. Experimental results are shown for the maximum power point tracking of this system with a scaled down version of the panel's actual capability.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The substantial increase demand for electrical energy requires high efficient apparatus dealing with energy conversion. Several technologies have been suggested to implement power supplies with higher efficiency, such as multilevel and interleaved converters. This thesis proposes an energy conversion unit with an optimized number of output voltage levels per number of switches nL=nS. The proposed five-level four-switch per phase converter has nL=nS=5/4 which is by far the best relationship among the converters presented in technical literature. A comprehensive literature review on existing five-level converter topologies is done to compare the proposed topology with conventional multilevel converters. The most important characteristics of the proposed configuration are: (i) reduced number of semiconductor devices, while keeping a high number of levels at the output converter side, (ii) only one DC source without any need to balance capacitor voltages, (iii) high efficiency, (iv) there is no dead-time requirement for the converters operation, (v) leg isolation procedure with lower stress for the DC-link capacitor. Single-phase and three-phase version of the proposed converter is presented in this thesis. Details regarding the operation of the configuration and modulation strategy are presented, as well as the comparison between the proposed converter and the conventional ones. Simulated results are presented to validate the theoretical expectations. In addition a fault tolerant converter based on proposed topology for micro-grid systems is presented. A hybrid pulse-width-modulation for the pre-fault operation and transition from the pre-fault to post-fault operation will be discussed. Selected steady-state and transient results are demonstrated to validate the theoretical modeling.