Power Converters For Medium Voltage Networks

This book examines a number of topics, mainly in connection with advances in semiconductor devices and magnetic materials and developments in medium and large-scale renewable power plant technologies, grid integration techniques and new converter topologies, including advanced digital control systems for medium-voltage networks. The book’s individual chapters provide an extensive compilation of fundamental theories and in-depth information on current research and development trends, while also exploring new approaches to overcoming some critical limitations of conventional grid integration technologies. Its main objective is to present the design and implementation processes for medium-voltage converters, allowing the direct grid integration of renewable power plants without the need for step-up transformers.

“Power Electronics in Smart Electrical Energy Networks” introduces a new viewpoint on power electronics, re-thinking the basic philosophy governing electricity distribution systems. The proposed concept fully exploits the potential advantages of renewable energy sources and distributed generation (DG), which should not only be connected but also fully integrated into the distribution system in order to increase the efficiency, flexibility, safety, reliability and quality of the electricity and the networks. The transformation of current electricity grids into smart (resilient and interactive) networks necessitates the development, propagation and demonstration of key enabling cost-competitive technologies. A must-read for professionals in power engineering and utility industries, and researchers and postgraduates in distributed electrical power systems, the book presents the features, solutions and applications of the power electronics arrangements useful for future smart electrical energy networks.

Modern semiconductor devices have reached high current and voltage levels, and their power-handling limits can be extended if they are used in multilevel converter configurations. To create high-performance and reliable control designs, however, engineers need in-depth understanding of the characteristics and operation of these topologies. Multilevel Converters for Industrial Applications presents a thorough and comprehensive analysis of multilevel converters with a common DC voltage source. The book offers a novel perspective to help readers understand the principles of the operation of voltage-source multilevel converters as power processors, and their capabilities and limitations. The book begins with an overview of medium-voltage power converters and their applications. It then analyzes the topological characteristics of the diode-clamped multilevel converter, the flying capacitor multilevel converter, and the asymmetric cascaded multilevel converter. For each topology, the authors highlight particular control issues and design trade-offs. They also develop relevant modulation and control strategies. Numerous graphical representations aid in the analysis of the topologies and are useful for beginning the analysis of new multilevel converter topologies. The last two chapters of the book explore two case studies that analyze the behavior of the cascade asymmetric multilevel converter as a distribution static compensator and shunt active power filter, and the behavior of the diode-clamped topology configured as a back-to-back converter. These case studies demonstrate how to address the associated control problems with advanced control and modulation schemes. Examining recent advances, this book provides deep insight on the design of high-power multilevel converters and their applications. It is a valuable reference for anyone interested in medium-voltage power conversion, which is increasingly being used in industry and in renewable energy and distributed generation systems to improve efficiency and operation flexibility.

This book focuses on the latest research and developments in photovoltaic (PV) power plants, and provides extensive coverage of fundamental theories, current research and developmental activities, and new approaches intended to overcome a number of critical limitations in today’s grid integration technologies. The design and implementation process for large-scale solar PV power plants is introduced. The content provided will actively support the development of future renewable power plants and smart grid applications. The book will be of interest to researchers, professionals and graduate students in electrical and electronics fields seeking to understand the related technologies involved in PV power plants.

This book covers advancements of power electronic converters and their control techniques for grid integration of large-scale renewable energy sources and electrical vehicles. Major emphasis is on transformer-less direct grid integration, bidirectional power transfer, compensation of grid power quality issues, DC system protection and grounding, interaction in mixed AC/DC systems, AC and DC system stability, design of high-frequency high power density systems with advanced soft magnetic materials, modeling and simulation of mixed AC/DC systems, switching strategies for enhanced efficiency, and protection and reliability for sustainable grid integration. This book is an invaluable resource for professionals active in the field of renewable energy and power conversion. Md. Rabiul Islam received his PhD from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. He was appointed as a Lecturer at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET) in 2005 and promoted to full-term Professor in 2017. In early 2018, he joined the School of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia. He is a Senior Member of IEEE. His research interests include the fields of power electronic converters, renewable energy technologies, power quality, electrical machines, electric vehicles, and smart grids. He has authored or coauthored more than 200 publications including 50 IEEE Transactions/IEEE Journal papers. He has been serving as an editor for IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion and IEEE Power Engineering Letters, and associate editor for IEEE Access. Md. Rakibuzzaman Shah is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Engineering, Information Technology and Physical Science at Federation University Australia. He has worked and consulted with distribution network operators and transmission system operators on individual projects and has done collaborative work on a large number of projects (EPSRC project on multi-terminal HVDC, Scottish and Southern Energy multi-infeed HVDC) - primarily on the dynamic impact of integrating new technologies and power electronics into large systems. He is an active member of the IEEE and CIGRE. He has more than 70 international publications and has spoken at the leading power system conferences around the world. His research interests include future power grids (i.e., renewable energy integration, wide-area control), asynchronous grid connection through VSC-HVDC, application of data mining in power system, distribution system energy management, and low carbon energy systems. Mohd. Hasan Ali is currently an Associate Professor with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Memphis, USA, where he leads the Electric Power and Energy Systems (EPES) Laboratory. His research interests include advanced power systems, smart-grid and microgrid systems, renewable energy systems, and cybersecurity issues in modern power grids. Dr. Ali has more than 190 publications, including 2 books, 4 book chapters, 2 patents, 60 top ranked journal papers, 96 peer-reviewed international conference papers, and 20 national conference papers. He serves as the editor of the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy and IET-Generation, Transmission and Distribution (GTD) journal. Dr. Ali is a Senior Member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES). He is also the Chair of the PES of the IEEE Memphis Section.

This book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Smart Technologies for Energy, Environment, and Sustainable Development (ICSTEESD 2018). The chapters are broadly divided into three focus areas, viz. energy, environment, and sustainable development, and discusses the relevance and applications of smart technologies in these fields. A wide variety of topics such as renewable energy, energy conservation and management, energy policy and planning, environmental management, marine environment, green building, smart cities, smart transportation are covered in this book. Researchers and professionals from varied engineering backgrounds contribute chapters with an aim to provide economically viable solutions to sustainable development challenges. The book will prove useful for academics, professionals, and policy makers interested in sustainable development.

Grid converters increasingly affect power system operation due to the increasing share of renewable energy sources and less conventional power plants. This shift in power generation leads to converter-dominated weak grids, which show critical stability phenomena but also enable converters to contribute to grid stability and voltage support. This thesis presents critical parts of converter controls and describes models to assess their characteristics. These models are used to derive design criteria and dedicated stability analysis methods for grid converter controls. Der steigende Anteil an erneuerbaren Energien in den Energieversorgungsnetzen führt zur Verdrängung konventioneller Kraftwerke. Diese Entwicklung lässt umrichterdominierte und schwache Netzabschnitte entstehen, die kritischen Stabilitätsmechanismen unterliegen, allerdings auch ermöglichen, dass Umrichter aktiv zur Netzstützung und Netzstabilität beitragen können. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt kritische Regelungskomponenten der Umrichter und deren Modellierung. Auf Basis der Modelle werden Auslegungskriterien für die Regelungen abgeleitet und dedizierte Stabilitätsanalysemethoden präsentiert.