Solar Photovoltaic Systems Integration

Photovoltaic systems (PV) can support the electricity network with carbon-free power, being among the most promising renewable energy technologies. A PV system can be literally of any size, from small rooftop systems to large open-field plants, being also ideal to power isolated areas, such as rural villages in developing countries, that otherwise would not have energy access. Although last year solar was the cheapest generation technology worldwide, it has started facing barriers in further deployment in power systems that accommodate already a lot of solar energy. The very nature of the solar technology gives rise to various challenges in the electric grid in terms of balancing, stability and control. Being variable during the day - it changes with the sun - and intermittent - severely affected by clouds passing by - means that other power sources need to be online to cover the gap. Furthermore, solar systems are embedded locally into the distribution network in places where used to have only load; this leads to bidirectional power flows in the network, voltage rise is certain parts of the grid, as well as challenges in the protection of the network during faults.
This project will explore these challenges and aim to come up with suggestions so that the electric grid can accept more solar generation, with a special emphasis on developing countries. It will look into ways to make the solar PV systems more "grid-friendly" so that they will more easily accommodatable, as well as into how to increase the reliability and availability of solar-power standalone microgrids. Core part of the research will investigate how the PV system can support the power system by providing "ancillary services" during disturbances (e.g. faults, loss of generation), and how the different operating modes "grid-forming" and "grid-following" can affect this grid-friendliness. Topics to be explored are also grid voltage support by the PV system by injecting/consuming reactive power and black-start capability to assist with the power system restoration in the event of a blackout. The envisioned research will span over the disciplines of power systems, power electronics, control systems and data science.
The core of the project will be carried out using computational platforms, such as MATLAB and Python, possibly followed by limited experimental validation with prototypes. The student will work together with research and industrial contacts in India to get a realistic view of the solar integration challenges in developing countries and come up with practical and impactful solutions. This project is strongly related to the areas of "Solar technology" and "Energy Network" of the "Energy" EPSRC remit. The ambition is to provide a fresh alternative on how the PV system can be an integral power of the electric grid, in order to contribute to the envisioned green transformation of the power system and decarbonization of the energy sector.