DC bus voltage control for two stage solar converter

• US 8,085,564 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Grid Solutions LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Klodowski, Anthony Michael, Smith, David, Wagoner, Robert Gregory, Barker, Sidney Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton, Gary L
• Application Number:
  US12/956,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20110096579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 363/35, 363/36, 363/95, 363/97, 363/98, 363/131, 363/132
• US Class Current: 363/97
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/22 The renewable source being solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/50 Controlling the sharing of the out-of-phase component
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0054 Transistor switching losses periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/48 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/539 with automatic control of output wave form or frequency H02M7/5375 - H02M7/5387 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for supplying AC power to an AC power grid from a DC power source, such as a photovoltaic (PV) array are disclosed. The systems and methods can include a converter coupled to the DC power source that provides DC power to a DC bus at a DC bus voltage. The systems and methods can further include an inverter coupled to the DC bus for converting the DC power of the DC bus to an output AC power. The systems and methods can further include a control system configured to regulate the DC bus voltage of the DC bus to operate at a variable DC bus voltage setpoint. The control system can adjust the DC bus voltage setpoint based at least in part on the DC bus voltage and the output AC current of the inverter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying AC power to an AC power grid from a DC power source, comprising:

a converter coupled to the DC power source, said converter providing DC power to a DC bus;

an inverter coupled to said DC bus, said inverter converting the DC power of said DC bus into AC power; and

,

a control system configured to regulate the DC bus voltage to be substantially equal to a variable DC bus voltage setpoint, said control system being configured to adjust the variable DC bus voltage setpoint based at least in part on the DC bus voltage of said DC bus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to adjust the variable DC bus voltage setpoint based at least in part on the DC bus voltage of said DC bus and an output AC current of said inverter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control system is configured to regulate the DC bus voltage to operate at the variable DC bus voltage setpoint by controlling the output of said inverter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said inverter converts the DC power of said DC bus into AC power based at least in part on a modulation index, said control system comprising a DC bus voltage setpoint regulator configured to adjust the variable DC bus voltage setpoint based at least in part on the modulation index for said inverter.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said control system regulates the variable DC bus voltage setpoint such that the modulation index of said inverter remains substantially constant.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said control system further comprises:

a real current regulator operatively coupled to said inverter, said real current regulator providing a first modulation command to said inverter; and

,

a reactive current regulator operably coupled to said inverter, said reactive current regulator providing a second modulation command to said inverter;

wherein said DC bus voltage setpoint regulator is configured to determine the modulation index of said inverter from the first and second modulation commands.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said control system further comprises a voltage regulator operably coupled to said real current regulator, said voltage regulator configured to provide a real current reference signal to said real current regulator based at least in part on the variable DC bus voltage setpoint.

8. A system for supplying AC power to an AC power grid from a DC power source, comprising:

a boost converter coupled to the DC power source;

a DC bus coupled to said boost converter, said boost converter providing DC power to said DC bus;

an inverter coupled to said DC bus, said inverter configured to convert the DC power of said DC bus into AC power based at least in part on a modulation index;

a monitoring system comprising a DC bus voltage sensor and an output AC current sensor, said DC bus voltage sensor providing a DC bus voltage feedback signal based on the DC bus voltage, said output AC current sensor providing an output AC current feedback signal based on the output AC current of said inverter; and

,

a control system configured to control the DC bus voltage to be substantially equal to a variable DC bus voltage setpoint, said control system configured to adjust the variable DC voltage setpoint based at least in part on one of the DC bus voltage feedback signal or the AC current feedback signal so that the modulation index of said inverter remains substantially constant.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said control system comprises:

a voltage regulator configured to compare the DC bus voltage feedback signal to the variable DC bus voltage setpoint, said voltage regulator providing a real current reference command based on the comparison of the DC bus voltage and the DC bus voltage setpoint;

a real current regulator configured to compare the real current reference command to the output AC current feedback signal of said inverter, said real current regulator providing a real voltage command based on the comparison of the real current reference command to the output AC current of said inverter, said real current regulator configured to normalize the real voltage command based on the DC bus voltage feedback signal to provide a first modulation command for said inverter; and

,

a reactive current regulator configured to compare a reactive current setpoint to the output AC current feedback signal, said reactive current regulator providing a reactive voltage command based on the comparison of the reactive current setpoint to the output AC current feedback signal, said reactive current regulator configured to normalize the reactive voltage command based on the DC bus voltage feedback signal to provide a second modulation command for said inverter.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said system further comprises a DC bus voltage setpoint regulator, said DC bus voltage setpoint regulator configured to determine a modulation index feedback signal from at least one of the first modulation command and the second modulation command.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said DC bus voltage setpoint regulator compares the modulation index feedback signal with a modulation index setpoint to generate a variable DC bus voltage setpoint signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said control system regulates the variable DC bus voltage setpoint based on the variable DC bus voltage setpoint signal.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the modulation index can be determined as a function of the first modulation command.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the modulation index can be determined as a function of the second modulation command.

15. A method for controlling a DC bus voltage in a system for providing AC power to an AC power grid from a DC power source, said method comprising:

providing DC power to a DC bus;

converting the DC power on the DC bus to AC power with an inverter coupled to the DC bus, the inverter having an output AC current;

controlling the DC bus voltage to be substantially equal to a DC bus voltage setpoint; and

,

varying the DC bus voltage setpoint based in part on a DC bus voltage of the DC bus.

16. The method of claim 15, where the method comprises varying the DC bus voltage setpoint based in part on the DC bus voltage of the DC bus and an output AC current of the inverter.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said method comprises varying the DC bus voltage setpoint based at least in part on a modulation index for the inverter.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said method comprises:

comparing the DC bus voltage to the DC bus voltage setpoint;

generating a real current reference command signal based on said comparison of the DC bus voltage to the DC bus voltage setpoint;

comparing the real current reference command signal to the output AC current;

generating a real voltage command signal based on said comparison of the real current reference command signal to the output AC current;

normalizing the real voltage command signal based on the output DC bus voltage to generate a real voltage modulation command; and

,

providing the real voltage modulation command to the inverter to control the inverter.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said method comprises:

comparing a reactive current setpoint to the output AC current;

generating a reactive voltage command signal based on said comparison of the reactive current setpoint to the output AC current;

normalizing the reactive voltage command signal based on the output DC bus voltage to generate a reactive voltage modulation command; and

,

providing the reactive voltage modulation command to the inverter to control the inverter.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said method comprises:

determining a modulation index feedback signal from at least one of the real voltage modulation command and the reactive voltage modulation command;

comparing the modulation index feedback signal to a modulation index setpoint;

generating a DC bus voltage setpoint command signal based on said comparison of the modulation index to the modulation index setpoint; and

,

varying the modulation index setpoint value based on the DC bus voltage setpoint command signal.