The rapid growth in renewable energy based electric power generation continuously pushes for the need of high performance power conversion systems. This paper mainly focuses on the design and performance study of a DC– DC ZETA converter using wide bandgap power devices. The converter is designed based on a SiC MOSFET/SiC Schottky diode, and its performance is compared with a Si IGBT/SiC Schottky diode based converter. The switching characteristics of the SiC MOSFET and Si IGBT power devices within the converter are studied and compared. A comprehensive evaluation of the total power loss and overall efficiency of the converter is analyzed and reported. The results indicate that the converter with the SiC MOSFET/SiC Schottky diode has great potential to work efficiently under different operating conditions.
DC microgrids are gaining significant attention for smart distributed power systems, particularly in commer- cial and residential sectors, because of their increased energy efficiency, improved power quality, and reduced generation cost. In DC microgrids, distributed renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines, photovoltaic (PV) arrays, and fuel cells, along with energy storage systems–batteries and ultracapacitors–are increasingly implemented as a method of sustainable and clean power generation. Power electronic converters, especially bidirectional buck/boost topologies, play a major role in interfacing these renewable energy sources and energy storage systems with the utility network. However, most existing bidirectional converters face serious conduction and switching losses caused by conventional silicon (Si) devices, which are reaching their theoretical and oper- ational limits. Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), are not only exceed the current Si devices’ limitations but also provide great potential for improving power converters. This paper presents the impact of cascode GaN power devices on a bidirectional DC–DC buck/boost converter in DC microgrids. The results reveal that cascode GaN power devices considerably im- prove the converter performance and efficiency at various switching frequencies, junction temperatures, and output power levels.
The negative environmental impacts of energy production from gas and fossil fuels are causing widespread concern to developed countries. However, electricity production from wind turbines and solar energy systems is evolving rapidly to meet the demand for clean and renewable energy. Integrating renewable energy sources with power conversion systems is an area of intense research. Among possible alternative energy resources, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are increasingly used for electric power generation because they are eco-friendly, emission-free, and relatively cost-effective. High-gain converters are an essential component utilized mainly in low-voltage renewable energy sources and dc-distribution systems because they provide a high-voltage gain and are more efficient than other step-up converters. Interleaved high-gain dc-dc converters promise efficient energy conversion across a range of applications, including distributed generation and grid integration. This paper presents a performance analysis of an interleaved high-gain dc-dc converter for dc-distributed renewable energy systems with 650 V GaN HEMTs. The converter design with GaN power transistors and SiC Schottky diodes is discussed. The performance of the high-gain converter is examined at different input voltages and output power levels.
KEYWORDS: Silicon carbide, Switching, Solar cells, Semiconductors, Gallium nitride, Energy efficiency, Energy conversion efficiency, Silicon, Wide bandgap semiconductors, Solar energy systems
This paper presents a positive output cascaded boost converter design based on wide bandgap power devices for photovoltaic (PV) applications. The objective is to enhance the converter’s performance and efficiency. The converter with SiC MOSFET devices is discussed and compared to a conventional cascaded boost converter based on Silicon (Si) devices. A 205 W cascaded boost converter with an input voltage of 26.6 V and an output voltage of 400 V is simulated to examine the switching behavior and energy loss of each power device. Converter performance with these two power devices is analyzed in terms of total power loss and efficiency at high switching frequencies and loading conditions. SiC power devices in the cascaded converter set-up perform better with minimized switching loss under a wide range of switching frequency conditions. The results show that the cascaded converter with SiC devices significantly reduces total power loss and improves the overall efficiency.
This paper presents a high-performance dc–dc flyback converter design based on wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices for photovoltaic (PV) applications. Two different power devices, a gallium nitride (GaN)-transistor and a silicon (Si)-MOSFET, are implemented individually in the flyback converter to examine their impact on converter performance. The total power loss of the converter with different power devices is analyzed for various switching frequencies. Converter efficiency is evaluated at different switching frequencies, input voltages, and output power levels. The results reveal that the converter with the GaN-transistor has lower total power loss and better efficiency compared to the converter with the conventional Si-MOSFET.
A highly efficient high step–up dc–dc converter is the major requirement in the integration of low voltage renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic panel module and fuel cell stacks, with a load or utility. This paper presents the development of an efficient dc–dc single–ended primary–inductor converter (SEPIC) for high step–up applications. Three SEPIC converters are designed and studied using different combinations of power devices: a combination based on all Si power devices using a Si–MOSFET and a Si–diode and termed as Si/Si, a combination based on a hybrid of Si and SiC power devices using the Si–MOSFET and a SiC–Schottky diode and termed as Si/SiC, and a combination based on all SiC power devices using a SiC–MOSFET and the SiC–Schottky diode and termed as SiC/SiC. The switching behavior of the Si–MOSFET and SiC–MOSFET is characterized and analyzed within the different combinations at the converter level. The effect of the diode type on the converter’s overall performance is also discussed. The switching energy losses, total power losses, and the overall performance efficiency of the converters are measured and reported under different switching frequencies. Furthermore, the potential of the designed converters to operate efficiently at a wide range of input voltages and output powers is studied. The analysis and results show an outstanding performance efficiency of the designed SiC/SiC based converter under a wide range of operating conditions.
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