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Current & Future Uses of Solar Power Electronics
Current & Future Uses of Solar Power Electronics

Jul 02, 2020

Solar power electronic devices convert electricity from one form to another using photovoltaic inverters and battery chargers or dischargers. Power electronics enable solar grid integration and grid modernization technologies, as the forecast suggests that 80% of electricity would need some form of power electronics. This creates a need to improve integrating systems such as inverters, converters, rectifiers, and trackers at various stages and power ratings that support utility-scale, commercial, industrial, and residential photovoltaic systems. [1]

There’s a need for innovation on the power electronic devices, systems, and materials to address the electronics and the power distribution resulting from connecting hundreds of gigawatts of solar energy into the electricity grid. The devices will demand high-frequency magnetics and the latest wide-bandgap silicon carbide switches, thus making way for cost-effective grid integration.

Solar Power Regulation & Inverters

Two basic power electronics areas that need to be addressed in energy applications are power regulation and inverters. The power output from fuel cells, solar cells, and wind turbines isn’t constant, and this output is controlled with the help of voltage regulators, DC converters. A DC-DC converter is used to regulate the voltage because the output from the system usually varies with load current. Many fuel cell and solar systems are designed for a lower voltage. Therefore a DC-DC boost converter is used to increase the voltage to higher levels. They also save space for using multiple batteries for the same task.

Renewable energy can be used for both home and business as the main power source. The system output will also need to be converted into AC in some grid-independent systems, where an inverter is used to accomplish this. In industry or utility-scale solar parks, high-performance central inverters convert DC voltages up to 1,500 volts and strong currents coming from the array.

Future of Solar Power Systems

The future of power systems will be evolving from grid-following to grid-forming distributing inverter controllers. The idea is to develop a suite of inverter controllers to ensure long-term viability and address the large reductions in system-wide inertia. These grid-forming inverter controllers will allow each inverter to act as a controllable voltage source that can dynamically adjust its output to ensure system-level stability, synchronization, and voltage regulation.

Electronics are an important part of the devices we use daily and a critical part of hybrid systems. This year alone, it’s expected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that more than 115 gigawatts (GW) of new solar installations across the world. Over the past decade, the cost of solar has fallen dramatically. The new technologies definitely promise to increase efficiency and lower costs further, thus making solar energy unbeatable compared to fossil fuels. [1]

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