Wide-bandgap semiconductor devices based power converters with high voltage step-up conversion ratio for wind energy systems

2016年，加拿大的风电总装机容量达到9.7吉瓦（GW）;其中超过39%安装在安大略，供应该省近5%的电力需求。加拿大风能协会的目标是，到2025年，陆上和海上风力发电将能够满足全国20%的电力需求。 因此，为大功率风力涡轮机开发紧凑、高效和可靠的电力电子接口至关重要。PI在NSERC Engage赠款下与安大略省的电力变压器制造商北方Transformer公司（“北方”）合作。这项工作的成果是一种高效功率转换器的概念，它有可能取代风力涡轮机中使用的电流升压变压器。 这种升级将大大减少升压单元的重量和尺寸，并使能量收集更有效。 基于成功的成果，拟议的研究项目是开发一种创新的模块化功率转换器系统，具有完全无损的开关功率损耗特性。 特别是，一个智能和高度鲁棒的控制方案将被开发，以协助设计的功率转换器，以操作在完全零开关功率损耗的条件下，为整个操作。 新的商用宽带隙半导体开关模块将用于拟议的设计，以帮助实现高功率风力涡轮机的高频功率转换。研究将在约克大学的可持续能源研究高级电力电子实验室（PELSER）进行。******

Canada's total installed wind capacity reached 9.7 giga-watt (GW) 2016; more than 39% of it was installed in Ontario, supplying almost 5% of the province's electricity demand. The Canadian Wind Energy Association is targeting that onshore and offshore wind power will be able to supply 20% of the nation's electricity demand by 2025. Developing compact, highly efficient and reliable power electronics interfaces for high power wind turbines is therefore essential. The PI has worked together with an Ontario-based manufacturer of electrical transformers, Northern Transformer Corporation ("Northern") under an NSERC Engage grant. The outcome of the work was a concept for a highly efficient power converter that has the potential to replace the current step-up transformers used in wind turbines. Such an upgrade would significantly reduce the weight and size of the step-up unit and make the energy harvest more efficient. Based on the successful outcomes, the proposed research project is to develop an innovative class of modular power converter system that features completely loss-less switching power loss characteristics. In particular, an intelligent and highly robust control scheme will be developed to assist the devised power converters to operate in complete zero switching power losses condition for the entire operation. New commercially available wide-bandgap semiconductor switching modules will be utilized in the proposed design to help achieving high frequency power conversion for high power wind turbines. Research will be conducted at the Advanced Power Electronics Lab for Sustainable Energy Research (PELSER) at York University. ******