An integrated four-port converter for compact and efficient hybrid power systems

As interest in renewable energy systems with various sources continues to grow, there is a strong need for integrated power converters that are capable of interfacing and concurrently controlling several power terminals. Meanwhile, energy storage is required to compensate for the mismatch between the sourcing and loading power patterns over a regular operational cycle. Therefore, different operational scenarios and modes exist during a regular operational cycle. This necessitates an intelligent power management and a mature and advanced control strategy in order to boost energy harvesting, protect the battery and increase overall system functionality, reliability and efficiency. The proposed four-port converter interfaces one photovoltaic (PV) panel input port, one wind turbine input port, one bi-directional battery port and an isolated output port. It has the advantage of low switch count, high power density and high efficiency. Wind and PV Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), battery charge algorithm and bus voltage regulation are efficiently managed by a mature control structure.