GOALI: Highly Integrated Grid-Tied Multi-Port Power Module for PV and Storage

The University Of Central Florida Board Of Trustees, Orlando FL

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract The nation, utility companies, and communities are seeking innovative solutions that incorporate renewable energy resources into the nation's power grids. This will reduce United States dependency on fossil fuels and provide environmental and economic benefits. One such solution is to use and store photovoltaic (solar) energy within the nation's existing power grid system, and to proactively address future photovoltaic incorporation as the nation' grid system evolves. However, the cost to rapidly deploy and maintain integrated photovoltaic systems, the ability to control and distribute energy across the grids, potential material deterioration due to thermal concerns, and the potential for a single point-of-failure are challenges that currently prohibit the broad use of grid-tied photovoltaics. The iPV++ system will enable greater penetration of photovoltaic energy into the electric grid, which in turn will expand worldwide use of solar energy, stimulate the entire photovoltaic industry, create employment opportunities, and lead to lower energy costs. The iPV++ module will result in accelerated photovoltaic deployment through simplified installation processes and features including plug-and-play and the easy replacement of the battery and inverter, will further accelerate photovoltaic deployment, and significantly reduce the installation and maintenance costs. The iPV++ is a novel system which integrates photovoltaic design with seamless hardware and software integration for a reliable, cost-effective solution that serves as an asset to the current grid, and becomes essential for the future smart grid. The novelty of this approach is in the design and development of a unique architecture that integrates smart power electronics with local storage and battery management to harvest solar power. The solution utilizes a new innovative inverter with smart and dynamic control algorithms, and provides highly stable and predictable energy for grid connection with utility-interaction functionalities. The goal of this proposed effort is to investigate, design and develop an advanced, integrated, and cost-effective technology consisting of photovoltaic smart inverters and battery management. The key innovation is the proposed novel architecture with innovative multi-port topology and control, enabling the integration of smart power electronics with local storage to deliver highly stable and predictable photovoltaic-based solar power for grid-tied applications. The iPV++ project explores integrating power electronics, battery and communication into the backplane of the photovoltaic panel by addressing the associated control and dynamic challenges. The technical approach will provide ancillary benefits, such as photovoltaic firming, peak load shifting, and controllable power from the utility perspective. The proposed modular approach of "building blocks," combined with the innovative passive thermal management with the industry partner AllCell Technology's Phase Change Composite, guarantees the safety of the battery modules, simplifies the installation and maintenance, and significantly increases lifetime due to temperature control. The control technique will allow for the use of local storage within the photovoltaic panel with utility access to support grid functionalities, provide load shifting and peak shaving, minimize transmission and distribution losses, and optimize local energy production and consumption. A significant improvement in power density and efficiency is expected as a result of the hardware development effort, which will further lead to significant cost and size reduction. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.