Description: The objective of this course is to give an understanding of the operation, design and control of modern photovoltaic power systems. The course covers all aspects of PV systems, from solar cells and modules through PV inverter topologies and control, to PV plant design and grid integration challenges.

The course is structured in four days (lectures in the morning and exercises in the afternoon), as follows:
Day 1 - Cells, panels and arrays
The operating principle of the most common PV cells and their manufacturing processes will be described, along with modeling, characterization and fault diagnostic methods for various types of PV panels.
Day 2 – PV inverters –topologies and grid connection
Modern PV inverter topologies, with the best commercially used solutions, along with their specific modulation and control challenges will be presented and evaluated.
Day 3 – PV inverters - control and grid interaction
Maximum power point tracking, including management of active power reserves, along with grid integration challenges will be discussed. Methods for increasing the PV penetration in the grid will be presented.
Day 4 – PV plants - design and grid support
Design procedures, along with an example case study optimization algorithm, aiming to minimize the PV plants Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) will be presented. Furthermore, grid support functions according to recent grid code requirements will be discussed.

Hands-on experience will be provided in the state-of-the-art Photovoltaic Systems Laboratory, where tests on PV panel characterization, MPPT, grid synchronization and control using setups controlled by dSPACE will be carried out.

Prerequisites: Matlab/Simulink knowledge is recommended for the exercises.

Link: http://www.et.aau.dk/phd/phd-courses/
Registration: https://phd.moodle.aau.dk/


Organizer: Associate Professor Dezso Sera, des@et.aau.dk, Aalborg University

Lecturers: Professor Remus Teodorescu, ret@et.aau.dk, Aalborg University, Associate Professor Dezso Sera, des@et.aau.dk, Aalborg University, Associate Professor Tamas Kerekes, tak@et.aau.dk, Aalborg University and Associate Professor Laszlo Mathe, lam@et.aau.dk, Aalborg University

ECTS: 4

Time: 20 - 23 October, 2015, (8:30-16:30)

Place: Aalborg University, Pontoppidanstræde

Zip code: 9220

City: Aalborg

Number of seats: 30

Deadline: 29 September, 2015