Integrating renewable energy and other distributed energy sources into smart grids, often via power inverters, is arguably the largest “new frontier” for smart grid advancements. Inverters should be controlled properly so that their integration does not jeopardize the stability and performance of power systems and a solid technical backbone is formed to facilitate other functions and services of smart grids. This unique reference offers systematic treatment of important control problems in power inverters, and different general converter theories. Starting at a basic level, it presents conventional power conversion methodologies and then ‘non-conventional’ methods, with a highly accessible summary of the latest developments in power inverters as well as insight into the grid connection of renewable power. Consisting of four parts – Power Quality Control, Neutral Line Provision, Power Flow Control, and Synchronisation – this book fully demonstrates the integration of control and power electronics. Key features include: the fundamentals of power processing and hardware design innovative control strategies to systematically treat the control of power inverters extensive experimental results for most of the control strategies presented the pioneering work on “synchronverters” which has gained IET Highly Commended Innovation Award Engineers working on inverter design and those at power system utilities can learn how advanced control strategies could improve system performance and work in practice. The book is a useful reference for researchers who are interested in the area of control engineering, power electronics, renewable energy and distributed generation, smart grids, flexible AC transmission systems, and power systems for more-electric aircraft and all-electric ships. This is also a handy text for graduate students and university professors in the areas of electrical power engineering, advanced control engineering, power electronics, renewable energy and smart grid integration.

Learn the fundamentals of smart photovoltaic (PV) inverter technology with this insightful one-stop resource Smart Solar PV Inverters with Advanced Grid Support Functionalities presents a comprehensive coverage of smart PV inverter technologies in alleviating grid integration challenges of solar PV systems and for additionally enhancing grid reliability. Accomplished author Rajiv Varma systematically integrates information from the wealth of knowledge on smart inverters available from EPRI, NREL, NERC, SIWG, EU-PVSEC, CIGRE, IEEE publications; and utility experiences worldwide. The book further presents a novel, author-developed and patented smart inverter technology for utilizing solar PV plants both in the night and day as a Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) Controller STATCOM, named PV-STATCOM. Replete with case studies, this book includes over 600 references and 280 illustrations. Smart Solar PV Inverters with Advanced Grid Support Functionalities’ features include: Concepts of active and reactive power control; description of different smart inverter functions, and modeling of smart PV inverter systems Distribution system applications of PV-STATCOM for dynamic voltage control, enhancing connectivity of solar PV and wind farms, and stabilization of critical motors Transmission system applications of PV-STATCOM for improving power transfer capacity, power oscillation damping (POD), suppression of subsynchronous oscillations, mitigation of fault induced delayed voltage recovery (FIDVR), and fast frequency response (FFR) with POD Hosting capacity for solar PV systems, its enhancement through effective settings of different smart inverter functions; and control coordination of smart PV inverters Emerging smart inverter grid support functions and their pioneering field demonstrations worldwide, including Canada, USA, UK, Chile, China, and India. Perfect for system planners and system operators, utility engineers, inverter manufacturers and solar farm developers, this book will prove to be an important resource for academics and graduate students involved in electrical power and renewable energy systems.

In Hawai'i, the relatively high cost of electricity costs coupled with various incentives have made it cost-effective to install solar photovoltaics (PV) on residential homes and larger central-station PV plants. On some of the islands, PV has reached over 50% of the installed generation capacity base. To make sure these inverter-based PV plants can maintain stable and safe operations, new smart inverter functionality is being evaluated and demonstrated at significant scale across the islands This paper describes research conducted to validate high PV penetration scenarios with smart inverters and recent progress on the use of these advanced inverter grid support functions in actual power grids in Hawai'i.

DC/AC inversion technology is of vital importance for industrial applications, including electrical vehicles and renewable energy systems, which require a large number of inverters. In recent years, inversion technology has developed rapidly, with new topologies improving the power factor and increasing power efficiency. Proposing many novel approaches, Advanced DC/AC Inverters: Applications in Renewable Energy describes advanced DC/AC inverters that can be used for renewable energy systems. The book introduces more than 100 topologies of advanced inverters originally developed by the authors, including more than 50 new circuits. It also discusses recently published cutting-edge topologies. Novel PWM and Multilevel Inverters The book first covers traditional pulse-width-modulation (PWM) inverters before moving on to new quasi-impedance source inverters and soft-switching PWM inverters. It then examines multilevel DC/AC inverters, which have overcome the drawbacks of PWM inverters and provide greater scope for industrial applications. The authors propose four novel multilevel inverters: laddered multilevel inverters, super-lift modulated inverters, switched-capacitor inverters, and switched-inductor inverters. With simple structures and fewer components, these inverters are well suited for renewable energy systems. Get the Best Switching Angles for Any Multilevel Inverter A key topic for multilevel inverters is the need to manage the switching angles to obtain the lowest total harmonic distortion (THD). The authors outline four methods for finding the best switching angles and use simulation waveforms to verify the design. The optimum switching angles for multilevel DC/AC inverters are also listed in tables for quick reference. Application Examples of DC/AC Inverters in Renewable Energy Systems Highlighting the importance of inverters in improving energy saving and power-supply quality, the final chapter of the book supplies design examples for applications in wind turbine and solar panel energy systems. Written by pioneers in advanced conversion and inversion technology, this book guides readers in designing more effective DC/AC inverters for use in renewable energy systems.

This open access book explores the collision between the sustainable energy transition and the Internet of Things (IoT). In that regard, this book’s arrival is timely. Not only is the Internet of Things for energy applications, herein called the energy Internet of Things (eIoT), rapidly developing but also the transition towards sustainable energy to abate global climate is very much at the forefront of public discourse. It is within the context of these two dynamic thrusts, digitization and global climate change, that the energy industry sees itself undergoing significant change in how it is operated and managed. This book recognizes that they impose five fundamental energy management change drivers: 1.) the growing demand for electricity, 2.) the emergence of renewable energy resources, 3.) the emergence of electrified transportation, 4.) the deregulation of electric power markets, 5.) and innovations in smart grid technology. Together, they challenge many of the assumptions upon which the electric grid was first built. The goal of this book is to provide a single integrated picture of how eIoT can come to transform our energy infrastructure. This book links the energy management change drivers mentioned above to the need for a technical energy management solution. It, then, describes how eIoT meets many of the criteria required for such a technical solution. In that regard, the book stresses the ability of eIoT to add sensing, decision-making, and actuation capabilities to millions or perhaps even billions of interacting “smart" devices. With such a large scale transformation composed of so many independent actions, the book also organizes the discussion into a single multi-layer energy management control loop structure. Consequently, much attention is given to not just network-enabled physical devices but also communication networks, distributed control & decision making, and finally technical architectures and standards. Having gone into the detail of these many simultaneously developing technologies, the book returns to how these technologies when integrated form new applications for transactive energy. In that regard, it highlights several eIoT-enabled energy management use cases that fundamentally change the relationship between end users, utilities, and grid operators. Consequently, the book discusses some of the emerging applications for utilities, industry, commerce, and residences. The book concludes that these eIoT applications will transform today’s grid into one that is much more responsive, dynamic, adaptive and flexible. It also concludes that this transformation will bring about new challenges and opportunities for the cyber-physical-economic performance of the grid and the business models of its increasingly growing number of participants and stakeholders.