Design And Implementation Of A Renewable Energy Research Platform In The Power Generation

Author

Anthony Duran Hill, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

8-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Discipline

Electrical Engineering

Abstract

Over the past century or two, the interest in energy efficiency, Renewable Energy Generation in the power grid, energy cost, environmental protection, cyber-security, and the development of electric vehicles (EV) technology have been increasing. A research study on air pollution regulations in the USA, Asia, and Europe, as well as other major countries, showed that fossil-fueled vehicles were chosen as the significant source of emissions that created air pollution, leading to the global warming crisis. The oil resources on the earth are decreasing, and the new discoveries of these resources are at a more sluggish stride than the increase in demand by the world population. Therefore, the need for an alternative source of energy is becoming extremely critical. This research discussed the design and implementation of a Renewable Energy (RE) generation platform, solar power generation system. The design analysis and computations employed the Newton Raphson load flow method, curve fitting, and other heuristics approaches. The design procedure is outlined in the body of the dissertation. The research study defined a RE platform consisting of a network of interconnected devices collaborating to produce clean energy employing real-time measurements. The important components of the designed platform are detailed in the dissertation. These are various parallel and series combinations of solar cells, dc to dc converters including Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), that are required to fine tune the dc output of the solar cells to charge the batteries and to activate the dc to ac inverters, e-Gauge data loggers, communication networks, parallel and series batteries configurations, buses, breakers, and 200 Amp panels. The partial designed blueprint of the overall system is included in the dissertation. The designed system minimized losses due to shading of the PV and overloads, maintained voltage levels, increased reliability, decreased power outage occurrences, and improved power management. The daily data collected on the system through the designed communication network allows system operators to rapidly identify the best power management and security strategy against cyberattacks rapidly. The study also includes a working prototype to analyze crises condition, battery discharging and charging current, and implements a solution for solar efficiency.

Index Terms: Photovoltaic, solar power generation and converters

Committee Chair/Advisor

Penrose Cofie

Committee Co-Chair:

John Fuller

Committee Member

Kevin Kirby

Committee Member

Justin Foreman

Committee Member

Emmanuel Dada

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

5/24/2024

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Hill, A. D. (2023). Design And Implementation Of A Renewable Energy Research Platform In The Power Generation. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-dissertations/37