High voltage gain DC-DC boost converters are used widely in grid-connected applications through integration with the Renewable Energy Sources (RESs). Photovoltaic (PV) arrays or Fuel Cells (FCs) generate a limited value of the DC voltages and then for high power and high voltage applications, at the first stage, these voltages should be increased. This study presents a high gain, single-switched, and efficient DC-DC boost converter using the switched-capacitor and switched-inductor cells. These blocks easily can enhance the voltage and present an input current with the less values of the ripples. This will be done through replacing the location of the input inductors and by applying a switched-inductor block. Magnetizing in parallel and demagnetizing in series for the inductors present the smaller input current stresses. A single switch is used for the proposed boost converter that directly decreases the complexity of the control circuit for obtaining a fixed DC voltage at the output side for flexible input voltages or loads. More voltages will be presented by the used switched-capacitor cell simply by adding several diodes and capacitors. A deep and detailed mathematical analysis will be presented for continuous (CCM) and discontinuous conduction modes (DCM) and a 200 W laboratory-scaled prototype is presented. The results of the hardware tests confirm the correctness of the theoretical analysis and simulation results.

Nowadays, renewable energy sources such as solar Photovoltaic (PV) and wind power systems play a significant part in the process of generating electricity. These systems are tremendously reliant on the present and forecasted weather conditions. The inconsistent behavior of the system has an impact on the production as well as the variances in the output. As a result, the requirement for energy transmission and distribution systems to compensate promptly is becoming crucial. This paper proposes a new smart grid application for power system operation. A Static Compensator (STATCOM) device is utilized to improve the power quality and power flow in the distribution system, reduce unwanted harmonics and compensate for reactive power in the power sources. A quasi-Z-Source Inverter (qZSI) based STATCOM is constructed in connection with a Three-Phase Four-Wire (3P4W) distribution system. The combination of a q Z-source and a Photovoltaic (PV) system makes up the suggested compensator circuit that is employed here for switching. To control the suggested compensator, an Adaptive Frequency Fixed (AFF) - Second Order Generalized Integrator (SOGI) has been implemented. The Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) is used to optimize the parameters of the Proportional Integral (PI) controller, such as Kp and Ki. The performance is evaluated using a variety of characteristics, including power, current, and voltage, generated reactive power and active power, analysis in non-linear load, and other similar metrics.

In this paper, the design and performance investigation of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermoelectric generator (PV–TEG) system with an enhanced fractional order fuzzy logic controller (FOFLC)-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is presented. A control strategy of the variable incremental conduction (INC) method is employed using FOFLC for the MPPT control technique to efficiently harvest the maximum power from the PV module. The fractional factor α used in the MPPT control algorithm is a supporting fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for the accurate tracking of the maximum power point (MPP) and to maintain the constant output after reaching the MPP. In the proposed system configuration, the TEG is mounted with the PV panel for generating the extra electrical power using the waste heat energy produced on the PV panel due to the incident solar irradiation. The PV and TEG are connected electrically in series to increase output voltage level and thereby improve the power output. The hybrid energy module has better energy conversion efficiency when compared to the standalone PV array. The performance of the proposed MPPT technique is studied for the PV–TEG hybrid energy module under various thermal and electrical operating conditions using a MATLAB software-based simulation. The results of the FOFLC-based MPPT technique are compared with the conventional perturb and observe (P&O) and FLC-based P&O methods. The proposed MPPT technique confirms its effectiveness in extracting the maximum power in terms of speed and accuracy. Moreover, the PV and TEG combined system provides higher energy efficiency than the individual PV module.

This research paper aimed to design and present a sensitivity analysis of a hybrid photovoltaic-fuel-cell-battery (PV/FC/B) system to supply a small community for the recently planned grand city NEOM in Saudi Arabia. The location of the city of NEOM is characterized by a high average level of solar irradiance. The average daily horizontal solar radiation is around 5.85 kWh/m². A detailed feasibility and techno-economic evaluation of a PV/FC/B hybrid energy system were done to supply a daily load demand of 500 kWh (peak-35 kW). The PV array was the main source to meet the load demand. During the surplus periods, the battery was charged using extra energy and powered the electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The produced hydrogen was stored for later use. During the deficit periods, the FC and/or battery supported the PV array to meet the load demand. Two benchmarks, the cost of energy (COE) and net present cost (NPC), were used to identify the best size of the PV/FC/B system. Variation of the tilt angle of the PV array and the derating factor were considered to determine the effect of the performance of the PV/FC/B system’s COE and NPC. The main findings confirmed that a 200 kW PV array, 40 kW FC, 96 batteries, 50 kW converter, 110 kW electrolyzer, and 50 kg hydrogen tank was the best option to supply the load demand. The values of total NPC and COE were $500,823 and $0.126/kWh. The annual excess energy was very sensitive to the declination angle of the PV array. The minimum annual excess energy was achieved at an angle of 30 degrees. It decreased by 75.7% and by 60.6% compared to a horizontal surface and 50 degrees of declination, respectively. To prove the viability of the proposed system, a comparison with grid extension along with a diesel generation system was carried out.

Thermoelectric generation technology is considered to be one of the viable methods to convert waste heat energy directly into electricity. The utilization of this technology has been impeded due to low energy conversion efficiency. This paper aims to improve the energy conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric generator (TEG) model with a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique. A variable fractional order fuzzy logic controller (VFOFLC)-based MPPT technique is proposed in the present work in which the operating point of the TEG is moved quickly towards an optimal position to increase the energy harvesting. The fraction order term α, introduced in the MPPT algorithm, will expand or contract the input domain of the fuzzy logic controller (FLC to shorten the tracking time and maintain a steady-state output around the maximum power point (MPP). The performance of the proposed MPPT technique was verified with the TEG model by simulation using MATLAB /SIMULINK software. Then, the overall performance of the VFOFLC-based MPPT technique was analyzed and compared with Perturb and observe (P&O) and incremental resistance (INR)-based MPPT techniques. The obtained results confirm that the proposed MPPT technique can improve the energy conversion efficiency of the TEG by harvesting the maximum power within a shorter time and maintaining a steady-state output when compared to other techniques.

The sustainability of new-generation energy sources has become one of the most critical challenges in recent years as renewable energy sources (RESs) rapidly replace old fossil sources. Integration between RESs and the grid should be completed through power electronics converters and optimized control techniques. RESs have many advantages, such as having increased reliability and sustainability, being environmentally friendly, and having cheaper maintenance costs and more reasonable energy prices. Photovoltaic (PV) panels are among the most popular RESs. A PV array’s generated voltage level is unsuitable for direct load or grid connection and has to be enhanced via a DC-DC boost converter. After that, an inverter should be used to change the generated DC voltage to AC voltage for the grid or loads. In order to reach higher voltage gains, different structures have been proposed in the literature, such as cascaded converters, non-isolated converters (including transformers), and positive- and negative-voltage-lift Luo converters. These converters have some disadvantages, such as including a large number of semiconductor devices and inductors, heavy and bulky structures, and the need for intermediate converters to convert DC to AC voltage and vice versa. Besides the efficiency and high DC voltage gain feature, to achieve more reliability and sustainability and a longer lifetime of the PV source, the current drawn from these sources should be as ripple-free as possible. This study considers all these details by presenting a novel DC-DC power boost converter. The steady-state analysis, simulation, and test results are presented. The most important features of the proposed converter include the lack of need for a transformer, intermediate inverter, rectifier converters, and bulky and heavy components, while still ensuring that high voltage gains and high efficiencies are possible. Simulation results showed that for duty ratios from D = 0.05 to D = 0.15 for the switch S3, the gain of the converter was 22, 35, and 70 times greater than the input voltage, respectively. The desired 200 VDC and 400 VDC voltages for the output nodes were obtained using 12 VDC as the input voltage with and without the switched-capacitor cell, respectively. A limited number of the voltages between −47 and 12 V dropped across the inductors, and a reversed voltage from −12 to −48 V was reported for the power diodes. Additionally, an efficiency close to 96.88% was obtained for the proposed converter. According to the experimental results, a voltage close to 198 VDC was obtained with a 12 VDC input voltage source without using the switched-capacitor cell. A current with a maximum of 7 A was reported for the output diode, and more than 96% efficiency was reported. The results showed that the primary source of the power losses was the semiconductors, and the switching losses made up around 69% and 88% of the total losses for the switches and diodes, respectively. The present topology has three power switches. Two of the switches are activated and deactivated simultaneously. The third switch is activated or deactivated in reverse with the other switches. The results showed that for short-duty ratios such as 0.5 for switches S1 and S2 and 0.35 for switch S3, DC voltage gains close to 35 were obtained theoretically. The generated voltage could be doubled by applying fourth and fifth power switches by making a switched-capacitor-based topology. All of these details are illustrated in this study in detail. The proposed circuit was set up and tested in a laboratory environment. The test results confirm the simulation and theoretical analysis.