Course info

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 (TAK, SSP) 

• 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)

• 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 dSPACE) 
• Day 3: Grid interaction (ARS, FI, TAK) 
• 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 (SIM dSPACE)

Day 4: PV plants and Grid integration (FI, TAK) 

• 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.