High-frequency SiC-based PV generation and power management: a compact MPPT-integrated SAF for grid power quality enhancement

This research investigates how technology advances can simultaneously address climate change and electrical perturbations, by designing and setting up an electrical system not only more efficient and economical, but also offers improved control. In this context, this study proposes a compact shunt active filter (SAF) integrated with a photovoltaic generator (PVG), combined with a common control strategy and a novel modeling approach for industrial validation. This structure is based on a voltage source inverter comprised of fast-switching Silicon-Carbide (SiC) components with a small L-series output filter, offering high dynamics, increased reliability, and significantly lower weight and size than conventional SAF and PVG systems. The proposed PVG/SAF-SiC structure, combined with the common control strategy, including an appropriate phase locked loop (PLL), for MPPT and perturbation (harmonic, reactive power, etc.) detections and management works equally well under distorted grid conditions. Additionally, it offers maximum energy generation (MPPT) from the PVG and coordinates with the grid to power nonlinear polluting loads while ensuring high filtering/compensation quality on the grid side, according to the norm standards. The performances of the PVG/SAF-SiC are validated via a new modeling strategy and a real case study based on power quality analyzer measurements. It includes measuring switching losses of real MOSFET-SiC components. PLECS combined with Simulink-Matlab are used to carry out the experiments.