PhD Courses in Denmark

Photovoltaic Power Systems - in theory and practice (2024)

Doctoral School of Engineering and Science at Aalborg University

Organizer: Associate Professor Tamas Kerekes, tak@energy.aau.dk, Aalborg University

Lecturers:
Associate Professor Tamas Kerekes, tak@energy.aau.dk, Aalborg University
Associate Professor Florin Iov, fi@energy.aau.dk, Aalborg University
Associate Professor Sergiu Spataru, sersp@fotonik.dtu.dk, DTU
Assistant Professor Ariya Sangwongwanich, ars@energy.aau.dk, Aalborg University

ECTS: 4

Date/Time: 22 - 25 October 2024

Deadline: 1 October 2024

Place: AAU Energy, Pontoppidanstraede 101 room 1.015, Aalborg, Denmark

Max no. of participants: 25

Description: The objective of this course is to give an understanding of the operation, design and control of Photovoltaic Power Systems, and to provide insight into some of the key challenges for higher penetration of photovoltaic energy into the electricity network. The target audience is PhD students and practicing engineers but also researchers who aim to receive a comprehensive overview of modern photovoltaic systems. The course is structured in four days, covering topics from PV panels through power electronics and their control to PV plant design and grid integration challenges. The mornings are dedicated to lectures, while the afternoons are spent with exercises. No less than 40% of the course time is spent in the state-of-the-art Photovoltaic Systems laboratory at the Department of Energy, Aalborg University. The participants will make design, simulations and experimental tests, using the following advanced setups:

  • Grid-connected PV inverter systems, with real-time control using dSPACE® platform. The participants will be able to design, experimentally test, and tune parameters of grid controllers, PLL, voltage support, using the real-time graphical user interface Control Desk®
  • Real-time simulation platform on dSPACE® system, to design and analyse PLL, MPPT
  • High performance Spi-Sun 5600 SLP Solar simulator from Spire. Demonstration of PV panel measurements and characterisations will be provided
  • Detailed Simulink®, PLECS® and Matlab® GUI models for designing and analysing PV inverter topologies, grid synchronisation and PV array modelling
  • PVSyst Software platform for designing PV plants.

Selected simulation models will be included in the course material for the participants.

The mornings are dedicated to lectures, while the afternoons are spent with off-line application examples and exercises in Matlab/Simulink, and laboratory exercises focusing on Real Time implementation, where the students will apply the models and methodology in practice.

  • Day 1: PV panels and arrays
    • L1A2 - PV Systems Overview, Technology & Trends
    • L1B – Photovoltaic panels and systems – performance
    • L1C– PV systems Modelling
    • E1D1 – PV Modelling (SIM – Matlab GUI)
    • E1D2 – Spire Demo (EXP – Spi-Sun 5600SLP
  • Day 2: PV inverters
    • L2A – PV Inverters Structures, Topologies and Filter Design
    • L2B – Inverter Control & Harmonic Compensation
    • E2C1 – Converter Topologies (SIM - PLECS)
    • E2D1 – Current Control Design (SIM - MATLAB)
    • E2D2 - Current Control (EXP)
  • Day 3: Grid interaction
    • L3A – Maximum Power Point Tracking
    • L3B – MV Grid Requirements & Support with PV inverters
    • E3C – MPPT (SIM - dSPACE)
    • E3D – Control of PV Inverters under Grid faults
  • Day 4: PV plants and Grid integration
    • L4A1 – Grid Synchronization
    • L4A2 – Design of PV Plants
    • L4B1 - LV Grid Connection & Support Requirements
    • L4B2 – Grid Support in LV network with PV inverters
    • E4C1 – PLL (SIM - dSPACE)
    • E4C2 - Design of PV Plants (SIM)
    • E4D1 – Voltage Support (EXP)

 

Prerequisites: A degree in electrical engineering or control engineering and Matlab/Simulink knowledge is strongly recommended. The course language is English.

Form of evaluation: The evaluation is assignment based. Every day the afternoon session is dedicated to laboratory sessions, where the course participants will complete exercises based on the lectures from the morning session. A report from each laboratory exercise (10 in total) is to be submitted (uploaded to Moodle). Passing the course requires completion of all lab exercises, as well as positive assessment of the uploaded lab reports.