ASCENT: Ultra-Compact PV Microinverters with Integrated Active Power Decoupling

该NSF项目旨在研究一种用于住宅和商用太阳能光伏系统的新型能源转换系统。该项目的重点是清洁能源和能源效率，以缓解气候变化。该项目将给太阳能转换系统的尺寸和重量带来变革性的变化。这将通过创新的电路拓扑、独特的控制、新颖的传感器和优化的电热协同设计来实现。该项目的学术价值包括对拟议的创新太阳能微型逆变器进行科学理解的基础研究，这些逆变器具有显著更高的功率密度和比功率。该项目的更广泛影响包括高质量地整合电力电子研究和教育，通过在可再生能源转换系统的战略领域培养年轻而有才华的学生来满足美国能源行业的新兴劳动力和教育需求。该团队计划在这一研究项目中招募和培训一批有才华的学生，包括女性和少数族裔学生。成果将通过专业会议和知名期刊传播，以提高科学和教育成果。该项目还将促进太阳能系统的广泛应用。该项目旨在引入由新型单级、双有源桥结构实现的变革性太阳能微型逆变器，以及由独特的高带宽传感器和创新的机器学习增强的集成有功功率解耦控制。在超紧凑和高效的宽带隙氮化镓电力电子接口方面将取得理论上的进展。创新的高带宽隔离电流传感器能够处理开关节点中的高转换速率共模电压。这项工作将为基于宽带隙的转换器带来新颖的机器学习、神经网络控制和调制技术。该项目涉及电力电子、传感电路、热管理、电热协同设计、机器学习、神经网络控制、可靠性和制造设计等多学科研究。预计这一结果将在太阳能转换系统的电力电子接口的控制、建模、传感、设计和可靠性方面取得重大突破。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF project aims to investigate a new family of energy conversion systems for residential and commercial solar photovoltaic systems. This project is focused on clean energy and energy efficiency for climate change mitigation. The project will bring transformative changes to the size and weight of solar energy conversions systems. This will be achieved by innovative circuit topologies, unique control, novel sensors, and optimized electro-thermal co-design. The intellectual merits of the project include fundamental research for scientific understanding of proposed innovative solar micro-inverters with substantially higher power densities and specific powers. The broader impacts of the project include high quality integration of research and education in power electronics to meet the emerging workforce and educational needs of the U.S. energy industry by educating young and talented students in strategic fields of renewable energy conversion systems. The team plans to recruit and train a diverse group of talented students including female and minority students in this research project. The results will be disseminated through professional conferences and reputable journals to enhance scientific and educational achievements. The project will also facilitate widespread adoption of solar energy systems.This project aims at introducing transformative solar micro-inverters enabled by novel single-stage, dual-active-bridge structures, and integrated active power decoupling control enhanced by unique high bandwidth sensors and innovative machine learning. Theoretical advancements in ultra-compact and highly efficient wide bandgap Gallium Nitride power electronic interfaces will be achieved. Innovative high bandwidth isolated current sensors capable of handling high slew-rate common mode voltage in a switch-node will be introduced. The work will result in novel machine learning, neural network control, and modulation techniques for wide bandgap-based converters. This project involves multidisciplinary research in power electronics, sensing circuits, thermal management, electro-thermal co-design, machine learning, neural network control, reliability, and design for manufacturing. The results are envisioned to lead to major breakthroughs in control, modeling, sensing, design, and reliability of power electronic interfaces for solar energy conversion systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.