| Description |
This project will focus on a supercapacitor based DC power conditioner that can be used to alleviate the stress on the batteries of residential systems based on photovoltaic (PV) or Fuel cell systems. Besides, it can also be used to regulate and balance the DC bus in systems like grid-connected trams which require on-board power balancing devices rather than energy storage ones (batteries).
Power electronic topologies suitable for operation with the required levels of voltages and currents in the (intermediate) DC bus as well as that of the supercapacitors will be identified. The use of multi-level converters, for higher voltage levels, or interleaved converters, for higher current levels and lower current ripple are to be considered. Also, the modulation techniques and control strategies that will yield high efficiency, smaller filters, desired current sharing and good dynamic response. A digital controller for the power conditioner with a user interface will be developed. Tests on an experimental prototype, likely for the Loyola Solar House, will be conducted for verifying the performance of the system.
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