Sharif Digital Repository

P-V characteristic of photovoltaic (PV) arrays under partially shaded conditions (PSC) has multiple peaks, and conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms may fail to track the global maximum power point (GMPP) because of their insufficient intelligence in discriminating the local and global peaks. This paper proposes a novel fast MPPT method to achieve GMPP of PV array under all PSCs. The proposed method reduces the number of required samples and increases the speed of GMPP tracking based on comprehensive study of I-V and P-V characteristics of PV array. Performance of the proposed method has been evaluated in simulations of different PSCs. Also, its performance has been... 

Variable speed wind turbines are widely used in the modern power industry. These turbines that are usually driven by doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs) contain two groups of controlling variables; mechanical variables like pitch angle and electrical variables like rotor voltage. During the turbine operation, with variable wind velocity, power must be managed in two regimes; power optimisation and power limitation. In the current research, initially a non-linear simulation, based on the general wind turbine dynamic model is presented. Then, the desired controllers for both pitch angle and generator voltage components are constructed. After designing the controller, in order to... 

One of the most important issues in the operation of a photovoltaic (PV) system is extracting maximum power from the PV array, especially in partial shading condition (PSC). Under PSC, P-V characteristic of PV arrays will have multiple peak points, only one of which is global maximum. Conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods are not able to extract maximum power in this condition. In this paper, a novel two-stage MPPT method is presented to overcome this drawback. In the first stage, a method is proposed to determine the occurrence of PSC, and in the second stage, using a new algorithm that is based on ramp change of the duty cycle and continuous sampling from the P-V... 

Photovoltaic (PV) arrays are composed of PV cells which have a nonlinear power-voltage characteristic. To extract maximum amount of energy from a PV array, it is essential to track maximum power point (MPP). When all PV cells are subject to the same solar energy, MPP is found easily. However, in some ambient conditions, PV cells are partially or completely shadowed. Under partial shading conditions (PSCs), overall power-voltage curve will have several peaks. This paper presents a novel approach for MPP tracking, utilizing configuration of PV cells in series and parallel that may deliver maximum power in shading conditions. As such, instead of blindly searching for the global MPP among local... 

The improvement of the quality of the hole transporting layer (HTL) plays a key role in the fabrication of highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, we used rubrene as a surface treatment agent on top of a spiro HTL. We found that rubrene can cover the pinholes of the spiro layer and provide an excellent contact layer for planar PSCs. Based on this modification, mobile gold ions from the metal electrode are prevented from diffusing through the HTL hindering the degradation of PSCs. The optimized device shows a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.87% and a 79% fill factor (FF), which are higher than the 17.98% PCE and 72% FF of the reference device. In... 

An analog circuit for maximum power point tracking of a PV battery charger with minimum number of elements is proposed which works in a full range condition with a fixed switching frequency. In conventional MPPT algorithms which provide PV current or voltage reference value as output, fast climate changes may cause system instability. Here, a new variable is defined to eliminate the problem and improve the stability of the system. In order to compare the presented circuit with a conventional system, perturb and observe (P&O) MPPT algorithm which is well-known in PV systems is implemented on the same system. Simulation results (Conventional P&O algorithm and proposed structure) are presented... 

In this study, a new multi-input high step-up inverter, based on isolated soft-switching DC-DC converter blocks is proposed. Each of these blocks can provide zero-voltage and zero-current switching for its semiconductors, which improve power efficiency. The interesting feature of this DC-DC converter is using bidirectional switches to generate both positive and negative output voltage levels in each DC-DC block with an appropriate control scheme. Each DC-DC converter operates by simple pulse width modulation control through fixed frequency and has two degrees of freedom, which provide the capability of output voltage regulation or maximum power point tracking. The proposed inverter consists... 

This paper focuses on multi-objective optimisation (MOO) to optimise the planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks performance using a genetic algorithm. MOO problem does not have a single solution, but a complete Pareto curve, which involves the optional representation of possible compromise solutions. Here, two pairs of different objectives are considered as distinguished strategies. Optimisation of the first strategy predicts a maximum power output of 108.33 kW at a breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.51 $/kWh and minimum breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.30 $/kWh at a power of 42.18 kW. In the second strategy, maximum efficiency of 63.93%at a breakeven per-unit energy cost of 0.42... 

In the context of stationary power generation, fuel cell based systems are being predicted as a valuable option to tabernacle the thermodynamic cycle based power plants. In this paper, multi objective optimization approach is used to optimize the planer solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks performance using genetic algorithm technique. Multi objective optimization generates the most attractive operating conditions of a SOFC system. This allows performing the optimization of the system regarding to two different objectives. Two pairs of different objectives are considered in this paper as distinguished strategies. In the first strategy, minimization of the breakeven per-unit energy cost... 

In optimum designing of wireless power transfer(WPT) coils, maximum efficiency and maximum power transfer capability of coils should be considered. In this paper, a novel technique for optimum design of WPT coils based on maximum efficiency with considering required power transfer capability has been given. Optimum selection of system parameters including coil and wire dimensions, number of turns of coils and compensation capacitor selection based on minimum weight of copper mass is also given. For evaluation purpose a 100W experimental sample is designed and tested in 20cm range  

Ethylene glycol is an environmental pollutant, which exists in airport runoff and industrial waste. In this article, biodegradation of ethylene glycol in a two-chamber, batch-mode microbial fuel cell was investigated. Glucose and ethylene glycol at different concentrations were used as carbon and energy sources. Chemical oxygen demand removal in the range of 92-98% indicated that microbial fuel cell can be used for biodegradation of ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol also improved power generation and the maximum power density was 5.72 mW/m2 (137.32 mW/m3), with respect to the same glucose and ethylene glycol concentrations (500 ppm)  

This study investigates the dynamic participation of wind power plants (WPPs) in the automatic generation control (AGC) task. The pre-specified model of wind farm in the AGC studies has been used. It is shown that operating of WPPs at the command mode results in a significant improvement in the frequency behaviour of power system due to their faster response. However, the WPPs may change their operation mode from the command mode to the maximum power point mode according to the wind speed conditions and load variations. This reduces the improvement in the frequency response. In this condition, the shortage in the wind power should be compensated by the conventional units. Thus, the share of... 

Herein, a new dopant-free organic material, PV2000, as a stable hole transporting layer (HTL) for the fabrication of stable and efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is introduced. For this purpose, planar PSCs using a triple-A cation perovskite composition are fabricated and the commonly used 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) HTL is replaced by dopant-free PV2000 polymer. The characterization results disclose that the PV2000 has a great thermal stability, good hole mobility, and suitable band alignment that matches well with the valence band of triple-A cation perovskite. After proper optimization of PV2000 film thickness, a planar PSC... 

Stability is the main challenge in the field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Finding new strategies is required to protect the PSCs from deteriorating agents such as humidity, heating, and illumination. Herein, a new electron transporting layer (ETL), i.e., CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs), is proposed for the fabrication of efficient and stable PSCs. CdSe/ZnS QDs layer not only works as an ETL but also has downshifting property, which can improve both efficiency and stability of the PSCs. Using CdSe/ZnS QDs ETL with green emission, a PSC with maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18% is achieved. More importantly, the device shows great UV stability, much better than the device with... 

Variable speed wind turbines are widely used in the modern power industry. These turbines that are usually driven by doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) contain two groups of controlling variables; mechanical variables like pitch angle, and electrical variables like rotor voltage. During the turbine operation, with variable wind speed, power must be managed in two different regimes; power optimization and power limitation. In the current research, initially a non-linear simulation, based on the general wind turbine dynamic model is presented. Then, the desired controllers for both pitch angle and generator voltage components are constructed. To validate turbine behavior and controller... 

Challenging problems in the design and analysis of photovoltaic (PV) systems stem from the nonlinear current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of solar cells. This paper presents an analytical analysis based on a describing function method to investigate the transient and steady-state characteristics of a three-phase single-stage grid-connected PV system. In this study, the nonlinear I–V characteristic of the PV array is linearized around the operating point. The nonlinear dynamic of the maximum power point tracking controller is divided into two parts of continuous and discrete. For the continuous part, the common small-signal linearization is applied, while for the discontinuous part, a... 

Doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind turbines with traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control provide no inertia response under system frequency events. Recently, the DFIG wind turbines have been equipped with virtual inertia controller (VIC) for supporting power system frequency stability. However, the conventional VICs with fixed gain have negative effects on inter-area oscillations of regional networks. To cope with this drawback, this paper proposes a novel adaptive VIC to improve both the inter-area oscillations and frequency stability. In the proposed scheme, the gain of VIC is dynamically adjusted using fuzzy logic. The effectiveness and control performance of...