Design Article
Enhancing the efficiency of photovoltaic systems
Rufino Olay, Microsemi Corp.
11/15/2012 11:30 AM EST
The FPGA option
Although PV inverters have traditionally been implemented using a variety of processors including microcontrollers and digital signal processors (DSPs), a third option is to include programmable logic in the solution. This is possible using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology, which enables customized controllers to take advantage of ongoing cost, performance, flexibility and gate capacity improvements. FPGA technology has reached the point where it can now outperform microcontrollers, DSPs and ASICs at the same price range.
FPGA technology provides particularly compelling benefits when there is the demand for highly optimized solutions with special algorithmic functions such as PWM, MPPT and PFC implementation. In these cases, FPGAs provide a very low-cost hardware and software customization platform. To further improve flexibility, designers can opt for flash-based FPGAs that can be reprogrammed at any time, thus reducing development costs while permitting field upgrades and bug fixes.
Another option is the customizable system-on-chip (cSoC), which combines programmable logic with an embedded controller and configurable analog. cSoC technology offers many options for further enhancing the design and performance of a PV inverter system. The integration of board-level components into a single monolithic IC reduces cost and power dissipation. Plus, because there is no board-level wiring, there are shorter circuit delays. Eliminating the long wires that are otherwise needed to connect devices on the board also enables designers to avoid parasitic ringing, oscillations and other associated problems, as well.
cSoCs also give designers the flexibility to implement control functions in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Plus, the cSoC’s programmable analog can be used to monitor and evaluate operating conditions, giving end-users and utilities critically important visibility into potential failures before they occur so they can take pre-emptive actions. Finally, the highly parallel nature of the cSoC’s programmable fabric enables arithmetic co-processing. By using hardware acceleration techniques, cSoCs increase computational throughput. They can implement any required DSP functions that cannot be feasibly implemented in the embedded microcontroller. Whenever a signal processing function is required, the embedded microprocessor makes calls to a coprocessor that has been constructed in the cSoC’s programmable logic core. This offloads the microprocessor while delivering the needed throughput. System designers can choose from a number of off-the-shelf IP cores that greatly simplify the task of implementing DSP algorithms in hardware for PV system applications.
As demand grows for more efficient and reliable PV systems, system designers have a number of options to consider. The inclusion of programmable logic in today’s PV module solutions offers opportunities to improve system cost and performance ratios while adding valuable new features and capabilities.
About the author:
Rufino Olay is an Industrial Business Manager at Microsemi Corp., responsible for alternative-energy-focused designs and applications. His expertise includes business development, P&L responsibilities, NPI, and production launches for the FPGA-, PV-, and wireless-infrastructure industries. Olay holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from San Jose State University.
Visit: Microsemi Corporation
See related links:
PV industry looks to a bright future
Energy harvesting, wireless sensor networks & opportunities for industrial applications
Anti-aging elixir for solar cells
CZTSe thin-film solar cells results
Increasing energy yield of PV panels
---------------------------------
If you found this article to be of interest, visit SmartEnergy Designline where you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to all aspects of clean technologies. And, to register to our weekly newsletter, click here.
Although PV inverters have traditionally been implemented using a variety of processors including microcontrollers and digital signal processors (DSPs), a third option is to include programmable logic in the solution. This is possible using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology, which enables customized controllers to take advantage of ongoing cost, performance, flexibility and gate capacity improvements. FPGA technology has reached the point where it can now outperform microcontrollers, DSPs and ASICs at the same price range.
FPGA technology provides particularly compelling benefits when there is the demand for highly optimized solutions with special algorithmic functions such as PWM, MPPT and PFC implementation. In these cases, FPGAs provide a very low-cost hardware and software customization platform. To further improve flexibility, designers can opt for flash-based FPGAs that can be reprogrammed at any time, thus reducing development costs while permitting field upgrades and bug fixes.
Another option is the customizable system-on-chip (cSoC), which combines programmable logic with an embedded controller and configurable analog. cSoC technology offers many options for further enhancing the design and performance of a PV inverter system. The integration of board-level components into a single monolithic IC reduces cost and power dissipation. Plus, because there is no board-level wiring, there are shorter circuit delays. Eliminating the long wires that are otherwise needed to connect devices on the board also enables designers to avoid parasitic ringing, oscillations and other associated problems, as well.
cSoCs also give designers the flexibility to implement control functions in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Plus, the cSoC’s programmable analog can be used to monitor and evaluate operating conditions, giving end-users and utilities critically important visibility into potential failures before they occur so they can take pre-emptive actions. Finally, the highly parallel nature of the cSoC’s programmable fabric enables arithmetic co-processing. By using hardware acceleration techniques, cSoCs increase computational throughput. They can implement any required DSP functions that cannot be feasibly implemented in the embedded microcontroller. Whenever a signal processing function is required, the embedded microprocessor makes calls to a coprocessor that has been constructed in the cSoC’s programmable logic core. This offloads the microprocessor while delivering the needed throughput. System designers can choose from a number of off-the-shelf IP cores that greatly simplify the task of implementing DSP algorithms in hardware for PV system applications.
As demand grows for more efficient and reliable PV systems, system designers have a number of options to consider. The inclusion of programmable logic in today’s PV module solutions offers opportunities to improve system cost and performance ratios while adding valuable new features and capabilities.
About the author:
Rufino Olay is an Industrial Business Manager at Microsemi Corp., responsible for alternative-energy-focused designs and applications. His expertise includes business development, P&L responsibilities, NPI, and production launches for the FPGA-, PV-, and wireless-infrastructure industries. Olay holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from San Jose State University.
Visit: Microsemi Corporation
See related links:
PV industry looks to a bright future
Energy harvesting, wireless sensor networks & opportunities for industrial applications
Anti-aging elixir for solar cells
CZTSe thin-film solar cells results
Increasing energy yield of PV panels
---------------------------------
If you found this article to be of interest, visit SmartEnergy Designline where you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to all aspects of clean technologies. And, to register to our weekly newsletter, click here.
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jadwin79
11/16/2012 11:29 AM EST
If by "prevalent" you mean installed capacity, then wind far outstrips solar. Latest numbers I saw were 238 GW for wind, 67 GW for solar. You also mention solar efficiency of 19% (that is a typical number for panels themselves) and then say we need 95% to "maximize use of harvested solar energy". I think you probably meant to say that just the inverter efficiency should target 95% since basic physics limits existing Si panel efficiency to about half that.
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Some Guy
11/16/2012 5:32 PM EST
At a systems level, if you have any electrical storage in the system, you are best off to connect the panels and the batteries by DC, not AC. That typically results in 10% more energy available when you invert the AC out of the storage. (1. Eliminates a conversion: DC -DC - AC instead of DC - AC - DC - AC, and 2. higher end-to-end efficiency)
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green_is_now
1/18/2013 12:23 PM EST
Microsmi makes vry lo pwer FPGA device.
Misleading is the use of 1t,2nd,srd for efficiencyimprovements
the are all seperate and inependent issues.
MPPT input power otimization.
PWM, how any MPPT, PFC, PFM or PWM circuit works, it s the basis of all modern power conversion.
PFC = current propotionl to voltage... over fundamental period.
All must be used together to maxamize efficiency.
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