Design and Development of Highly Efficient High DC Voltage Inverters for Medium- to High-Power Distributed Energy Source

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Renewables are rapidly replacing the fossil-fuel energies due to growing concerns about security, operation costs, sustainability, and environmental issues of power supplies. Canada is a world leader in the production and use of energy from renewable resources. Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) are currently supplying about 19% of Canada's total primary energy. The federal government has committed to the realizing net-zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission power sources by 2050. In the ever-evolving RES industry, trends for hardware developers have been in one direction: More power at lower cost. A great number of very large multi-national solar competitors attempt to eke out gains in efficiency, power, and reduced costs - each of which is directly associated with the desired end result of higher returns for system owners. The most impactful of these three happens to be an increase in power, since the industry relies primarily on measures of "Cost per Watt", along with less direct measures of bankability, reliability, and service. Marginal gains on this front are directly related to the conversion topology, limits of semiconductors, and cooling capabilities and ancillary systems. One approach enabling the efficient connection of greater Photovoltaic (PV) arrays to one inverter is to increase the inverter's Direct Current (DC) link bus voltage. However, achieving this concept evolution requires the development of newer and innovative circuit topologies and switching schemes that can allow the use of new semiconductor switching devices at a higher DC bus voltage. Today, Medium-Voltage (MV) high-power DC/AC grid-tie inverters are the trend for high power RES systems. Such grid-tie inverters must be capable of handling bi-directional current flow to enable the charging of energy storage devices, a feature quickly becoming more relevant as grid operators look for solutions to keep centralized power generators dynamically connected. The proposed program focuses on how to achieve these higher levels of power capacity, while also addressing some of the more tangential issues along the way. The selected technology will take into consideration the capability and cost of next generation semiconductors such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), the most optimal bridge design, and its ability to provide advanced grid integration functions. The developed technologies are expected to be utilized by the industry to enhance the performance of their products, reduce the manufacturing cost, and increase the productivity, making contributions to the Canada's economic growth. The proposed program involves 5 doctoral and 3 master's students over five years. The participating students will acquire broader industry-relevant and industry-based skills in advanced computer aided design of power electronics circuits, power electronics simulation tools, PCB design, FPGA based digital control techniques, experimentation, and proof-of-concept prototype building.