Next Generation Grid Connected Converters for Smart Grid

并网变流器广泛应用于不同的工业领域，包括发电和输电、信息和通信技术(ICT)的电源、可再生能源系统和智能电网。在电力系统中，为了进一步提高可再生能源的普及率，需要越来越多的并网变流器。目前，高效并网变流器是电力系统调节能量流动、调节无功功率和将能量储存到储能装置中必不可少的设备。电力系统的应用包括固态无功补偿器、公用事业规模的储能系统和灵活的交流输电系统等。在消费方面，越来越多的并网变流器被用于工业中以提高效率。例如，电机驱动行业采用有源PWM整流器将动能反馈到电网；ICT行业希望开发高效率、高功率密度的并网转换器来为服务器供电；商业建筑业主希望消除由于紧凑型荧光灯(CFL)和LED照明的低成本而产生的谐波电流。所有这些努力都要求开发高可靠性和高效率的并网变流器。该方案旨在解决当前并网变流器存在的挑战。这些挑战包括：在严重干扰下可靠地检测电网同步，针对新一代高频宽带隙器件(如碳化硅和氮化镓器件)的快速可靠的数字控制系统，以及缩小无源元件的尺寸。本提案中开发的技术将在四个不同的项目中进行演示，共四个应用：用于公用事业和住宅的储能，用于ICT行业的高功率密度整流器，用于商业建筑的有源电力过滤器，以及带有多个逆变器的可再生能源系统。拟议的研究预计将产生创新技术，这些技术将通过研发合作项目转移到加拿大工业。

Grid connected converters are widely used in different sectors of industry, including energy generation and transmission, power supplies for information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy systems, and smart grid. In power systems, more and more grid connected converters are required to further improve the penetration of renewable energy. Nowadays, high efficiency grid connected converters are essential to the power system to regulate energy flow, adjust reactive power and store energy to storage devices. The power system applications include solid state var compensators, utility scale energy storage systems and flexible AC transmission systems among others. On the consumer side, more and more grid connected converters are used in industry to improve efficiency. For example, motor drives industry employs active PWM rectifiers to feed back the kinetic energy to the grid; the ICT industry wants to develop high efficiency high power density grid connected converters to power the servers; and commercial building owners would like to eliminate the harmonic currents due to the low cost compact florescent lighting (CFL) and LED lighting. All these efforts require the development of high reliability and high efficiency grid connected converters. This proposal aims to solve the challenges existing in current grid connected converters. The challenges include: reliable detection of grid synchronization under severe disturbances, fast and reliable digital control system for new generation high frequency wide band gap devices (like Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride devices) and reduced size of passive components. The technology developed in this proposal will be demonstrated in four different projects with four applications: energy storage for utility and residential applications, high power density rectifiers for the ICT industry, active power filters for commercial buildings, and renewable energy systems with multi-inverters. The proposed research is expected to generate innovative technology, which will be transferred to Canadian industry through the research and development collaborative projects.