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Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "L: Energy Sources".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2022) | Viewed by 10274

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Dinko Vukadinović

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Department of Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: control systems in power electronics; control of induction machines; photovoltaic/wind turbine energy generation systems; microgrid control; battery storage systems; fuzzy control
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing need for energy and the restricted supply of the conventional sources is a problem faced by many countries around the world. Renewable energy sources can alleviate energy problems, but their variable nature and availability pose challenges to their integration into the power grid. These challenges can be overcome by applying advanced control and energy storage systems.

Solar and wind energy systems are typical renewable energy sources, with large market share and growth. Their share of global electricity has doubled since 2015. Solar and wind energy systems are often equipped with battery systems whose role is to store excess energy and supply energy in the absence of wind or sunlight.

Therefore, this Special Issue will cover the diverse applications of advanced control techniques in solar and/or wind energy systems operating in a grid-connected or islanded mode. The proposed energy systems do not necessarily have to contain batteries. Both theoretical and experimental research are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Dinko Vukadinović
Guest Editor

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Keywords

active and reactive power control in wind/solar energy systems
control of wind turbine blades
maximum power point tracking in wind/solar energy systems
partial shading in photovoltaic systems
power converter control in wind/solar energy systems
control of voltage and frequency in wind/solar microgrids
battery control and monitoring systems

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems

by Dinko Vukadinović

Energies 2022, 15(9), 3401; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15093401 - 06 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 852

Abstract

This Editorial summarizes the papers of the Special Issue entitled ‘Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems’ published in Energies. The Special Issue includes four scientific articles published in 2021 and 2022 in the field of quasi-Z-Source inverter control, photovoltaic energy conversion, battery charge control, wind turbine speed control, and solar irradiance prediction. New scientific achievements with experimental verifications of the achieved results are presented in all articles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems)

Research

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29 pages, 8964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photovoltaic System with a Battery-Assisted Quasi-Z-Source Inverter: Improved Control System Design Based on a Novel Small-Signal Model

by Ivan Grgić, Dinko Vukadinović, Mateo Bašić and Matija Bubalo

Energies 2022, 15(3), 850; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15030850 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2160

Abstract

This paper deals with a photovoltaic (PV) system containing a quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI) and batteries connected in parallel with the qZSI’s lower-voltage capacitor. The control system design is based on knowledge of three transfer functions which are obtained from the novel small-signal model of the considered system. The transfer function from the d-axis grid current to the battery current has been identified for the first time in this study for the considered system configuration and has been utilized for the design of the battery current control loop for the grid-tied operation. The transfer function from the duty cycle to the PV source voltage has been utilized for the design of the PV source voltage control loop. The PV source voltage is controlled so as to ensure the desired power production of the PV source. For the maximum power point tracking, a perturb-and-observe algorithm is utilized that does not require the measurement of the PV source current, but it instead utilizes the battery current during the stand-alone operation and the d-axis reference current during the grid-tied operation. The corresponding tracking period was determined by using the transfer function from the duty cycle to the battery current and in accordance with the longest settling time noted in the corresponding step response. The proposed control algorithm also has integrated protection against battery overcharging during the stand-alone operation. The considered system has been experimentally tested over wide ranges of irradiance and PV panel temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems)

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24 pages, 6112 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficiency Boost of a Quasi-Z-Source Inverter: A Novel Shoot-Through Injection Method with Dead-Time

by Ivan Grgić, Dinko Vukadinović, Mateo Bašić and Matija Bubalo

Energies 2021, 14(14), 4216; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14144216 - 13 Jul 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2117

Abstract

A quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI) is a single-stage inverter that enables a boost of the input dc voltage through the utilization of a so-called shoot-through state (STS). Generally, the efficiency of the qZSI depends on the utilized STS injection method to a significant extent. This paper presents a novel method of STS injection, called the zero-sync method, in which the STS occurrence is synchronized with the beginning of the zero switching states (ZSSs) of the three-phase sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM). In this way, compared to the conventional STS injection method, the total number of switchings per transistor is reduced. The ZSSs are detected by utilizing the SPWM pulses and the logic OR gates. The desired duration of the STS is implemented by utilizing the LM555CN timer. The laboratory setup of the three-phase qZSI in the stand-alone operation mode was built to compare the proposed zero-sync method with the conventional STS injection method. The comparison was carried out for different values of the switching frequency, input voltage, duty ratio, and load power. As a result of the implementation of the zero-sync method, the qZSI efficiency was increased by up to 4%. In addition, the unintended STSs, caused by the non-ideal switching dynamics of the involved transistors, were successfully eliminated by introducing the optimal dead-time as part of the modified zero-sync method. As a result, the efficiency was increased by up to 12% with regard to the conventional method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems)

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25 pages, 11740 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solar Irradiance Forecast Based on Cloud Movement Prediction

by Aleksander Radovan, Viktor Šunde, Danijel Kučak and Željko Ban

Energies 2021, 14(13), 3775; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14133775 - 23 Jun 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2245

Abstract

Solar energy production based on a photovoltaic system is closely related to solar irradiance. Therefore, the planning of production is based on the prediction of solar irradiance. The optimal use of different energy storage systems requires an accurate prediction of solar irradiation with at least an hourly time horizon. In this work, a solar irradiance prediction method is developed based on the prediction of solar shading by clouds. The method is based on determining the current cloud position and estimating the velocity from a sequence of multiple images taken with a 180-degree wide-angle camera with a resolution of 5 s. The cloud positions for the next hour interval are calculated from the estimated current cloud position and velocity. Based on the cloud position, the percentage of solar overshadowing by clouds is determined, i.e., the solar overshadowing curve for the next hour interval is calculated. The solar irradiance is determined by normalizing the percentage of the solar unshadowing curve to the mean value of the irradiance predicted by the hydrometeorological institute for that hourly interval. Image processing for cloud detection and localization is performed using a computer vision library and the Java programming language. The algorithm developed in this work leads to improved accuracy and resolution of irradiance prediction for the next hour interval. The predicted irradiance curve can be used as a predicted reference for solar energy production in energy storage system optimization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems)

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17 pages, 4123 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Investigation of a Standalone Wind Energy System with a Battery-Assisted Quasi-Z-Source Inverter

by Matija Bubalo, Mateo Bašić, Dinko Vukadinović and Ivan Grgić

Energies 2021, 14(6), 1665; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14061665 - 17 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1969

Abstract

This paper presents a wind energy conversion system (WECS) for grid-isolated areas. The system includes a squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG) and a battery-assisted quasi-Z source inverter (qZSI). The batteries ensure reliable and stable operation of the WECS in spite of the wind power oscillations. The maximum power is captured from both the wind turbine (WT) and the SCIG through adjustment of the WT speed and the SCIG operating flux, respectively. The utilized maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms belong to the group of fuzzy logic (FL) search-based algorithms. The battery state of charge (SOC) is tracked online and controlled. When it reaches the minimum allowed level, the load is automatically disconnected; conversely, when it reaches the maximum allowed level, the battery charging is stopped via WT speed control. The load voltage root-mean-square (RMS) value and frequency are at all times controlled at grid-level values. The performance of the proposed system was experimentally validated, in steady state and during transients, achieving wide ranges of wind speed, load power, SOC, and alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) voltage levels. The system startup and low-wind operation were also analyzed. The control algorithms were executed in real time by means of the DS1103 and MicroLabBox controller boards (dSpace). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Control Techniques for Wind/Solar/Battery Systems)

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