Title :
TRIMODE power converter optimizes PV, diesel and battery energy sources
Author :
O´Sullivan, George
Author_Institution :
Abacus Controls Inc., USA
Abstract :
Conservatively, there are over 100,000 localities in the world waiting for the benefits that electricity can provide, and many of these are in climates where sunshine is plentiful. With these locations in mind a prototype 30-kW hybrid system has been assembled at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to evaluate the performance, reliability and economics of photovoltaic, diesel and battery energy systems managed by a TRIMODE power converter. In the power converter, four IGBTs with an isolation transformer and filter, serve as rectifier and charger to charge the battery from the diesel; as a standalone inverter to convert PV and battery energy to AC; and as a parallel inverter with the diesel-generator. Whenever the diesel is supplying the load, an algorithm assures that the diesel is running at maximum efficiency. Test results are showing the feasibility of the TRIMODE power converter in multi-sourced, hybrid energy systems
Keywords :
AC-DC power convertors; DC-AC power convertors; battery chargers; battery storage plants; bipolar transistor switches; diesel-electric generators; diesel-electric power stations; economics; insulated gate bipolar transistors; internal combustion engines; invertors; photovoltaic power systems; power bipolar transistors; power semiconductor switches; power system reliability; rectifying circuits; secondary cells; 30 kW; PV energy source; TRIMODE power converter; battery energy source; diesel energy source; economics; electricity; hybrid power system; performance; reliability; Assembly systems; Batteries; Energy conservation; Inverters; Laboratories; Photovoltaic systems; Power generation economics; Power system economics; Power system reliability; Prototypes;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1460-3
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.1994.520174
