Description

Several goals have been set at international and European levels regarding the energy and climate change of the planet. According to the European Union, these objectives are well known as the “20-20-20” targets by 2020, which require that 20% of energy consumption is produced from Renewable Energy Sources (RES), a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 20% improvement of energy efficiency. Higher goals are being set for 2030 (27%, 40%, and 30% respectively). This project focuses on the large scale deployment of photovoltaic (PV) systems through improving their grid integration. The driving forces of this ambitious project focus on three issues of critical significance that inhibit the massive deployment of PVs: (a) the variable/insolation-dependent nature of PV generation, (b) the problems associated with massive distributed generation (e.g., grid unbalance, harmonics), and (c) the need to develop appropriate fault ride through (FRT) solutions to allow them to support the grid during faults. It is expected that the project results and products developed will address the challenges and achieve the objectives with regards to the grid interconnection and the large-scale deployment of PV systems as set by the implementation plan of the Solar Europe Industry Initiative (SEII).

The most crucial point with regards to the grid integration of PV systems is the grid side converter (GSC) which is based on power electronic technology. GSCs are still not capable of advanced control features that enable the full control of RES with FRT capabilities, reactive power support, and generation control. The major objective of this project is to develop a next-generation GSC (one for single- and one for three- phase systems) with advanced control and novel operational mode capabilities, which will benefit all stakeholders of PV systems in terms of:

A seamless integration of PV systems in the power grid
A further larger scale deployment of PV systems due to the several advantages of the new converters
Possibilities to extend the GSC technology to other green technologies
Maximization of the utilization of PV systems in order to improve the power system operation
Increase of the incomes/returns from a solar energy investment for a self-sustainable market of PV systems.

The GSCs designed and developed in this project will achieve an improved performance ensuring the proper grid integration of PV systems under any grid conditions. Additionally, the new GSCs will be enhanced with novel operational functionalities that will allow new operating approaches. The new operating modes will contribute to the development of multifunctional industrial products that can be used for the grid integration of several new technologies with emphasis on PV systems. The novel operational functionalities of the GSC will pave the way for a higher penetration of solar energy and will maximize the utilization of PV systems in order to:

Enhance the value and increase the competiveness of PV systems
Maximize the income of a solar project for a self-sustainable market of PV systems,
Enhance the stability and reliability of power systems
Improve the power quality and minimize the power losses of Distribution Networks (DN).

The project will clearly benefit the PV industry, the power system operator at distribution and transmission level, the investors on PV systems, the electricity consumer, and the environment. A cost-effective and smooth integration of considerably more PV systems will be achieved.

The successful completion of the project is guaranteed due to world-class/pioneer partners of a balanced and complementary consortium. The partners combine great expertise on the following areas: development of advanced methodologies for GSC, design and reliability of power electronics, and power system operation/power quality/stability and investment on energy market. The result of the project can be used to enable partners to enter into the PV industry by commercializing the results on novel single- and three- phase inverters for PV systems.