Design and control of a multicell interleaved converter for a hybrid photovoltaic-wind generation system

• Main Author: Da Silva, Joao Lucas
• Other Authors: Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse - INPT (FRANCE)
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Hybrid renewable generation; Photovoltaic cells; Wind generation; Distributed Generation; Interleaved converter; Intercell transformer (ICT)
• Online Access: http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/19318/7/DASILVA_JoaoLucas.pdf

The solution for the generating energy derived from non-polluting sources configures a worldwide problem, which is undetermined, complex, and gradual; and certainly, passes through the diversification of the energetic matrix. Diversification means not only having different sources converted into useful energy, like the electricity, but also decentralizing the energy generation in order to fit with higher adequacy the demand, which is decentralized too. Distributed Generation proposes this sort of development but in order to increase its penetration several technical barriers must be overpassed. One of them is related to the conversion systems, which must be more flexible, modular, efficient and compatible with the different energy sources, since they are very specific for a certain area. The present study drives its efforts towards this direction, i.e. having a system with several inputs for combining different renewable energy sources into a single and efficient power converter for the grid connection. It focuses on the design and control of an 11.7 kW hybrid renewable generation system, which contains two parallel circuits of photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine. A multicell converter divided in two stages accomplishes the convertion: Generation Side Converter (GSC) and Mains Side Converter (MSC). Two boost converters responsible for the photovoltaic generation and a rectifier and a third boost, for the wind constitue the GSC. It allows the conversion to the fixed output DC voltage, controlling individually and performing the maximum power point tracking in each input. On the other side, the single-phase 4- cell MSC accomplishes the connection to the grid through an LCL filter. This filter uses an Intercell Transformer (ICT) in the first inductor for reducing the individual ripple generated by the swicthing. The MSC controls the DC-link voltage and, by doing that, it allows the power flow from the generation elements to the network.