Large-scale Solar Photovoltaic Plants Research Articles

Excess power rerouting in the grid system during high penetration solar photovoltaic

• One of the concerns on this implementation is imbalance supply and demand which resulting power congestion that might cause instability of power system operation. • This paper presents the algorithm to solve power congestion in the power line during high penetration solar photovoltaic (PV) to the grid. • In this study the optimization approach is done using multiple mitosis genetic algorithm. • Power flow simulation is done using Power system simulation for engineers (PSSE) software. • This study is useful to the planning division of power system engineer to consider the option to avoid power congestion in the grid before the integration of large-scale solar farm. Large scale solar PV plant has been actively implemented in many countries. One of the concerns on this implementation is imbalance supply and demand which resulting power congestion that might cause instability of power system operation. This paper presents the algorithm to solve power congestion in the power line during high penetration solar photovoltaic (PV) to the grid. In this study the optimization approach is done using Multiple mitosis genetic algorithm (MMGA) to choose the best line to receive the excess power from the congested line and the system used to test the algorithm for 3 different scenarios is IEEE 30 bus test systems. Power flow simulation is done using Power system simulation for engineers (PSSE) software. Simulation results show that the excess power exist in the power line during high penetration solar PV are solved by rerouting the excess power to the available best adjacent line found using MMGA. This study is useful to the planning division of power system engineer to consider the option to avoid power congestion in the grid before the integration of large-scale solar farm.

Design and Analysis of Grid Interfaced 43-Level CHB Multilevel Converter for Integrating 10 MW Solar PV Plant

Megawatt solar plants are the reality now with nations looking for GW installed capacity. This high power is possible because of increased power levels in photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion systems. The multilevel converter (MLC) is the emerging technology for interfacing medium and higher voltage grids. This paper gives the design and analysis of transformerless grid interfaced single-stage 43-level Cascaded H-bridge (CHB)-based MLC for integrating large-scale solar PV plants with improved Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Transformerless integration and reduced filter size, due to improved THD, contribute appreciable savings in the Capital Expenditure and Operation and Maintenance cost of the big solar PV plant. This paper also showcases the design-based strategy for deciding the levels used in the MLC, making it both efficient and economical. The control scheme comprises voltage-oriented control (VOC) with synchronous reference frame (SRF) and phase-locked loop (PLL). The low-frequency phase-shifted pulse width modulation (PWM) suitable for the cascaded MLC is used for modulation. The separate incremental conductance (InC) algorithm is used for the extraction of maximum power from each solar PV array. This algorithm takes care of the unforeseen insolation level changes, shading effect, ambient temperature, and other related factors of the multi-string SPV system. The simulation is performed in MATLAB/Simulink and validated on an OPAL RT simulator. Both steady-state and dynamic behaviors at different insolation levels of the considered system are studied. The performance is validated as per the IEEE-519 standard requirement. Decent decrease in THD of grid current is observed with low switching losses.

A Review for Solar Panel Fire Accident Prevention in Large-Scale PV Applications

Due to the wide applications of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, safe operation and maintenance of the installed solar panels become more critical as there are potential menaces such as hot spot effects and DC arcs, which may cause fire accidents to the solar panels. In order to minimize the risks of fire accidents in large scale applications of solar panels, this review focuses on the latest techniques for reducing hot spot effects and DC arcs. The risk mitigation solutions mainly focus on two aspects: structure reconfiguration and faulty diagnosis algorithm. The first is to reduce the hot spot effect by adjusting the space between two PV modules in a PV array or relocate some PV modules. The second is to detect the DC arc fault before it causes fire. There are three types of arc detection techniques, including physical analysis, neural network analysis, and wavelet detection analysis. Through these detection methods, the faulty PV cells can be found in a timely manner thereby reducing the risk of PV fire. Based on the review, some precautions to prevent solar panel related fire accidents in large-scale solar PV plants that are located adjacent to residential and commercial areas.

Performance analysis of the first large-scale (15 MWp) grid-connected photovoltaic plant in Mauritania

This paper presents the performance evaluation and analysis of the first large-scale solar photovoltaic plant in Mauritania. The plant has a total capacity of 15MWp and was installed in Nouakchott. The plant is composed of seventeen arrays connected to inverters and the energy delivered is supplied to the 33kV electricity grid through nine transformers. Monitoring data from the photovoltaic plant was used to evaluate performance indices such as reference yield, array yield, system yield, DC performance ratio, capacity factor, array capture losses, miscellaneous capture losses and thermal capture losses. The comparison between the performances of two photovoltaic arrays of the photovoltaic plant was performed and the results of this study were compared with other systems installed in other countries. The results show that the photovoltaic plant performances depend on both insolation and environmental conditions. Comparison results show that performance may be different from one array to another from the PV plant. In addition, the analysis shows that the Sheikh Zayed plant exhibit high losses compared to other photovoltaic systems installed in other locations.