“They are often AC-to-AC converters that are doing things like cleaning up the power, doing power factory correction, or stabilizing the grid,” MacCleery said.
“They are very helpful for solar applications because a significant chunk of power can be coming and going, on and off the grid when clouds go over. But flexible AC transmission systems can help stabilize the grid given variability in generation and demand, plus provide voltage regulation that increases and optimizes the energy efficiency of the grid for any given condition.“
An important development for National Instruments is a single-board RIO control system that is optimized specifically for these kinds of power electronics and converter applications. Its idea is to cost-optimize and custom design an FPGA-based control platform specifically for inverter applications. The main thing to customize is the selection of the best FPGA and processor to hit the customer price point for high-volume deployment on the grid along with the right form factor mechanically and the appropriate I/O.
The goal has been to develop a GPIC (general-purpose inverter controller) platform that will be a very standardized FPGA-based design, which can be used in all kinds of applications, from the solar inverters, to wind turbine and grid storage converters, to FACTS-type systems. The overall goal is to provide an alternative to fully-custom hardware development, which is becoming increasingly expensive and risky due to the increasing internal complexity and external pin density of embedded processing devices.
What’s most important to this approach is to create a new software development process that enables the engineering teams to develop their actual FPGA software using graphical programming and within a simulation environment, and then move that code to a physical FPGA target and get identical results with little effort.
Historically, going from high-level software that intuitively captures design intent to low-level FPGA hardware meant plummeting into an abyss of text-based code that describes the design at a massively parallel hardware level. Instead, the goal of this effort is to enable designers to stay at the high level, the intuitive level, from the beginning to the end of product development. The high-level code must be able to compile down to FPGA hardware with an efficiency that’s comparable to handwritten Hardware Description Level (HDL) code. Another key advantage is a bidirectional development path, meaning that any changes made to the software at any stage automatically update anywhere that code is referenced in the tool chain.
“The power electronics circuitry must be developed in parallel with the FPGA software if you want them both to be optimal,” said MacCleery. “Most design decisions have implications that span the boundaries between the analog hardware and the digital software, and engineers need design tools which really are test tools and continuously test the design. To bring all of these things together that historically were not connected is our goal.”
An interesting quote in this article: "With solar tracking moving heavily toward simpler, less expensive single-axis solutions to reduce costs". Another article from today (9/17) talks about mounting solar panels on robotic technology. It looks like they are actually implementing both ends of the spectrum.
I agree that we won't outgrow petroleum and other fossil fuels, Bobjengr. As alternative fuels become less expensive, fossil fuels will also go down in price -- demand will decrease. Plus, some fossil fuels such as natural gas are already dirt cheap.
Ann, The key with control technology advances in solar is to help with the dual problem the technology faces: efficiency and reliability. The critical measure for solar is the ability to achieve system payback to justify the initial investment. Obviously this means efficiency of the solar system in terms of energy production, but the systems also need to perform reliably in difficult environmental conditions for 15-20 years. That's why this focus on optimizing solar inverters is important; it addresses both concerns.
Rob--I agree completely. I don't think we will ever "outgrow" our dependence on petroleum or other fossil fuels but we must continue developing alternative sources of energy. I think our future depends upon it. Any improvement in existing technology is the correct and proper course to follow. Right now I'm listening to a local radio station telling me there are 24 countries, mostly in the Middle East, with citizens demonstrating in front of our embassies and consulates. They don't seem to like us at all for whatever reason. That feeling won't go away anytime soon. Also, I just paid $3.82 per gallon to fill up my Toyota Pre-runner. Fifteen gallon tank. We can all do the math. I have no idea as to where the gas prices might go from here. One of my clients is heavily invested in the production of biofuels. I think in the long run, he really has a winner.
It will definitely help in generating energy. It also keep focusing on developing an overall tool chain for renewable energy and clean tech applications.
Mydesign, Al may have a different answer, but the point of increasing efficiency in any solar energy, or other alternative energy, technology is to make it easier for people to switch from traditional petro-based energy technologies.
Al Presher, solar energy is abundantly available in all corners of earth and about 99.9% such energies are wasting without any usage. Only a small portion of it is converting to power using various solar photovoltaic cells. So far I hadn't though any optimization technology in solar energy conversion because its free and abundantly available in our nature.
Nice article, Al. It's good to see automation and control technology making alternative energy sources more viable. This is happening in wind and geothermal energy sources as well.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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