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In low-voltage grids with a wide spread of domestic and/or small commercial consumers, mostly single-phase, problems can appear due to unbalanced power consumption between the different phases. These problems are mainly caused due to voltage unbalances between phases and the increase in distribution losses. This phenomenon occurs more frequently at the end of highly radial grids and can be stressed by the installation of renewable generators next to the consumers. Amongst the various techniques that have been proposed to solve this problem, this article explores the use of a D-STATCOM, presenting and testing a new method for the optimal location of this type of D-FACT. The developed method starts from a detailed analysis of the existing voltage unbalances in a distribution network and identifies the optimal location of the D-STATCOM (i.e., the one that reduces these unbalances while reducing energy losses). The developed method has been successfully tested for one year at four real European locations with different characteristics and different kinds of users.
Gregorio Fernández; Alejandro Martínez; Noemí Galán; Javier Ballestín-Fuertes; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; Pablo López; Simon Stukelj; Eleni Daridou; Alessio Rezzonico; Dimosthenis Ioannidis. Optimal D-STATCOM Placement Tool for Low Voltage Grids. Energies 2021, 14, 4212 .
AMA StyleGregorio Fernández, Alejandro Martínez, Noemí Galán, Javier Ballestín-Fuertes, Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba, Pablo López, Simon Stukelj, Eleni Daridou, Alessio Rezzonico, Dimosthenis Ioannidis. Optimal D-STATCOM Placement Tool for Low Voltage Grids. Energies. 2021; 14 (14):4212.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGregorio Fernández; Alejandro Martínez; Noemí Galán; Javier Ballestín-Fuertes; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; Pablo López; Simon Stukelj; Eleni Daridou; Alessio Rezzonico; Dimosthenis Ioannidis. 2021. "Optimal D-STATCOM Placement Tool for Low Voltage Grids." Energies 14, no. 14: 4212.
There are many different types of energy storage systems (ESS) available and the functionality that they can provide is extensive. However, each of these solutions come with their own set of drawbacks. The acid-base flow battery (ABFB) technology aims to provide a route to a cheap, clean and safe ESS by means of providing a new kind of energy storage technology based on reversible dissociation of water via bipolar electrodialysis. First, the main characteristics of the ABFB technology are described briefly to highlight its main advantages and drawbacks and define the most-competitive use-case scenarios in which the technology could be applied, as well as analyze the particular characteristics which must be considered in the process of designing the power converter to be used for the interface with the electrical network. As a result, based on the use-cases defined, the ESS main specifications are going to be identified, pointing out the best power converter configuration alternatives. Finally, an application example is presented, showing an installation in the electrical network of Pantelleria (Italy) where a real pilot-scale prototype has been installed.
Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; Rossano Musca; Javier Ballestín-Fuertes; José Sanz-Osorio; David Rivas-Ascaso; Michael Jones; Angelo Catania; Emil Goosen. Power Grid Integration and Use-Case Study of Acid-Base Flow Battery Technology. Sustainability 2021, 13, 6089 .
AMA StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba, Rossano Musca, Javier Ballestín-Fuertes, José Sanz-Osorio, David Rivas-Ascaso, Michael Jones, Angelo Catania, Emil Goosen. Power Grid Integration and Use-Case Study of Acid-Base Flow Battery Technology. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (11):6089.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; Rossano Musca; Javier Ballestín-Fuertes; José Sanz-Osorio; David Rivas-Ascaso; Michael Jones; Angelo Catania; Emil Goosen. 2021. "Power Grid Integration and Use-Case Study of Acid-Base Flow Battery Technology." Sustainability 13, no. 11: 6089.
At present, the energy transition is leading to the replacement of large thermal power plants by distributed renewable generation and the introduction of different assets. Consequently, a massive deployment of power electronics is expected. A particular case will be the devices destined for urban environments and smart grids. Indeed, such applications have some features that make wide bandgap (WBG) materials particularly relevant. This paper analyzes the most important features expected by future smart applications from which the characteristics that their power semiconductors must perform can be deduced. Following, not only the characteristics and theoretical limits of wide bandgap materials already available on the market (SiC and GaN) have been analyzed, but also those currently being researched as promising future alternatives (Ga
Javier Ballestín-Fuertes; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; José Sanz-Osorio; Erika Laporta-Puyal. Role of Wide Bandgap Materials in Power Electronics for Smart Grids Applications. Electronics 2021, 10, 677 .
AMA StyleJavier Ballestín-Fuertes, Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba, José Sanz-Osorio, Erika Laporta-Puyal. Role of Wide Bandgap Materials in Power Electronics for Smart Grids Applications. Electronics. 2021; 10 (6):677.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJavier Ballestín-Fuertes; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; José Sanz-Osorio; Erika Laporta-Puyal. 2021. "Role of Wide Bandgap Materials in Power Electronics for Smart Grids Applications." Electronics 10, no. 6: 677.
Newly installed renewable power capacity has been increasing incredibly in recent years. For example, in 2018, 181 GW were installed worldwide. In this scenario, in which photovoltaic (PV) energy plays a leading role, it is essential for main players involved in PV plants to be able to identify the failure modes in PV modules in order to reduce investment risk, to focus their maintenance efforts on preventing those failures and to improve longevity and performance of PV plants. Among the different systems for defects detection, conventional infrared thermography (IRT) is the fastest and least expensive technique. It can be applied in illumination and in dark conditions, both indoor and outdoor. These two methods can provide complementary results for the same kind of defects, which is analyzed and characterized in this research. Novel investigation in PV systems propose the use of a power inverter with bidirectional power flow capability for PV plants maintenance, which extremely facilitates the electroluminescence (EL) inspections, as well as the outdoor IRT in the fourth quadrant.
Sara Gallardo-Saavedra; Luis Hernández-Callejo; María Del Carmen Alonso-García; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; Javier Ballestín-Fuertes. Infrared Thermography for the Detection and Characterization of Photovoltaic Defects: Comparison Between Illumination and Dark Conditions. Sensors 2020, 20, 4395 .
AMA StyleSara Gallardo-Saavedra, Luis Hernández-Callejo, María Del Carmen Alonso-García, Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba, Javier Ballestín-Fuertes. Infrared Thermography for the Detection and Characterization of Photovoltaic Defects: Comparison Between Illumination and Dark Conditions. Sensors. 2020; 20 (16):4395.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSara Gallardo-Saavedra; Luis Hernández-Callejo; María Del Carmen Alonso-García; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; Javier Ballestín-Fuertes. 2020. "Infrared Thermography for the Detection and Characterization of Photovoltaic Defects: Comparison Between Illumination and Dark Conditions." Sensors 20, no. 16: 4395.
Nowadays, photovoltaic (PV) silicon plants dominate the growth in renewable energies generation. Utility-scale photovoltaic plants (USPVPs) have increased exponentially in size and power in the last decade and, therefore, it is crucial to develop optimum maintenance techniques. One of the most promising maintenance techniques is the study of electroluminescence (EL) images as a complement of infrared thermography (IRT) analysis. However, its high cost has prevented its use regularly up to date. This paper proposes a maintenance methodology to perform on-site EL inspections as efficiently as possible. First, current USPVP characteristics and the requirements to apply EL on them are studied. Next, an increase over the automation level by means of adding automatic elements in the current PV plant design is studied. The new elements and their configuration are explained, and a control strategy for applying this technique on large photovoltaic plants is developed. With the aim of getting on-site EL images on a real plant, a PV inverter has been developed to validate the proposed methodology on a small-scale solar plant. Both the electrical parameters measured during the tests and the images taken have been analysed. Finally, the implementation cost of the solution has been calculated and optimised. The results conclude the technical viability to perform on-site EL inspections on PV plants without the need to measure and analyse the panel defects out of the PV installation.
Javier Ballestín-Fuertes; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; José F. Sanz-Osorio; Luis Hernández-Callejo; Victor Alonso-Gómez; José Ignacio Morales-Aragones; Sara Gallardo-Saavedra; Oscar Martínez-Sacristan; Ángel Moretón-Fernández. Novel Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Plant Electroluminescence Maintenance Technique by Means of Bidirectional Power Inverter Controller. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 3084 .
AMA StyleJavier Ballestín-Fuertes, Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba, José F. Sanz-Osorio, Luis Hernández-Callejo, Victor Alonso-Gómez, José Ignacio Morales-Aragones, Sara Gallardo-Saavedra, Oscar Martínez-Sacristan, Ángel Moretón-Fernández. Novel Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Plant Electroluminescence Maintenance Technique by Means of Bidirectional Power Inverter Controller. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (9):3084.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJavier Ballestín-Fuertes; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado-Alba; José F. Sanz-Osorio; Luis Hernández-Callejo; Victor Alonso-Gómez; José Ignacio Morales-Aragones; Sara Gallardo-Saavedra; Oscar Martínez-Sacristan; Ángel Moretón-Fernández. 2020. "Novel Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Plant Electroluminescence Maintenance Technique by Means of Bidirectional Power Inverter Controller." Applied Sciences 10, no. 9: 3084.
The Smart Grid is one of the most important solutions to boost electricity sharing from renewable energy sources. Its implementation adds new functionalities to power systems, which increases the electric grid complexity. To ensure grid stability and security, systems need flexible methods in order to be tested in a safe and economical way. A promising test technique is Power Hardware-In-the-Loop (PHIL), which combines the flexibility of Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) technique with power exchange. However, the acquisition of PHIL components usually represents a great expense for laboratories and, therefore, the setting up of the experiment involves making hard decisions. This paper provides a complete guideline and useful new tools for laboratories in order to set PHIL facilities up efficiently. First, a PHIL system selection guide is presented, which describes the selection process steps and the main system characteristics needed to perform a PHIL test. Furthermore, a classification proposal containing the desirable information to be obtained from a PHIL test paper for reproducibility purposes is given. Finally, this classification was used to develop a PHIL test online database, which was analysed, and the main gathered information with some use cases and conclusions are shown.
Eduardo García-Martínez; José Francisco Sanz; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado; Juan Manuel Perié. A Review of PHIL Testing for Smart Grids—Selection Guide, Classification and Online Database Analysis. Electronics 2020, 9, 382 .
AMA StyleEduardo García-Martínez, José Francisco Sanz, Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado, Juan Manuel Perié. A Review of PHIL Testing for Smart Grids—Selection Guide, Classification and Online Database Analysis. Electronics. 2020; 9 (3):382.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEduardo García-Martínez; José Francisco Sanz; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado; Juan Manuel Perié. 2020. "A Review of PHIL Testing for Smart Grids—Selection Guide, Classification and Online Database Analysis." Electronics 9, no. 3: 382.
Nowadays, an increasing penetration of utility-scale photovoltaic plants (USPVPs) leads to a change in dynamic and operational characteristics of the power distribution system. USPVPs must help to maintain the system stability and reliability while implementing minimum technical requirements (MTRs) imposed by the utility grid. One of the most significant requirements is about frequency regulation (FR). Overall production of USPVPs is reduced significantly by applying FR curves, especially in weak grids with high rate of frequency faults. The introduction of a battery energy storage system (BESS) reduces losses and improves the grid system reliability. Experimental frequency and irradiance data of several weak grids have been used to analyse USPVPs losses related to FR requirements and benefits from the introduction of a BESS. Moreover, its economic viability is showen without the need for any economic incentives.
Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba; Christian A. Rojas; Samir Kouro; Eduardo Galván Díez. Power Production Losses Study by Frequency Regulation in Weak-Grid-Connected Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Plants. Energies 2016, 9, 317 .
AMA StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba, Christian A. Rojas, Samir Kouro, Eduardo Galván Díez. Power Production Losses Study by Frequency Regulation in Weak-Grid-Connected Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Plants. Energies. 2016; 9 (5):317.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba; Christian A. Rojas; Samir Kouro; Eduardo Galván Díez. 2016. "Power Production Losses Study by Frequency Regulation in Weak-Grid-Connected Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Plants." Energies 9, no. 5: 317.
Power converters are the basic unit for the transient voltage fault ride through capability for most renewable distributed generators (DGs). When a transient fault happens, the grid voltage will drop suddenly and probably will also suffer a phase-jump event as well. State-of-the-art voltage fault control techniques regulate the current injected during the grid fault. However, the beginning of the fault could be too fast for the inner current control loops of the inverter, and transient over-current would be expected. In order to avoid the excessive peak current of the methods presented in the literature, a new fast peak current control (FPCC) technique is proposed. Controlling the peak current magnitude avoids undesirable disconnection of the distributed generator in a fault state and improves the life expectancy of the converter. Experimental and simulation tests with high power converters provide the detailed behaviour of the method with excellent results.
Jesus Munoz-Cruzado-Alba; Javier Villegas-Nunez; Jose Alberto Vite-Frias; Juan Manuel Carrasco Solís. A New Fast Peak Current Controller for Transient Voltage Faults for Power Converters. Energies 2015, 9, 1 .
AMA StyleJesus Munoz-Cruzado-Alba, Javier Villegas-Nunez, Jose Alberto Vite-Frias, Juan Manuel Carrasco Solís. A New Fast Peak Current Controller for Transient Voltage Faults for Power Converters. Energies. 2015; 9 (1):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesus Munoz-Cruzado-Alba; Javier Villegas-Nunez; Jose Alberto Vite-Frias; Juan Manuel Carrasco Solís. 2015. "A New Fast Peak Current Controller for Transient Voltage Faults for Power Converters." Energies 9, no. 1: 1.
Power converters are the basic unit for transient voltage fault ride through capability for most renewable distributed generators. When a transient fault happens, the grid voltage will drop suddenly, and probably, will also suffer a phase-jump event also. State of the art voltage fault control techniques regulate the current injected during the grid fault. However, the beginning of the fault could be too fast for the inner currents control loops of the inverter, and transient over-current would be expected. In order to avoid excessive peak current of methods presented in the literature, a new fast peak current control technique is proposed. Controlling the peak current magnitude avoids undesirable disconnection of the distributed generator in a fault state and improves the life-expectancy of the converter. Experimental and simulation tests with high power converters provide detailed behaviour of the method with excellent results.
Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba; Javier Villegas-Nunez; Jose Alberto Vite-Frias; Eduardo Galvan-Diez; J.M. Carrasco; Munoz-Cruzado-Alba J.; Vite-Frias J.A.; Galvan-Diez E.. A new fast peak current controller for transient voltage faults for power converters. 2015 IEEE 15th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC) 2015, 166 -171.
AMA StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba, Javier Villegas-Nunez, Jose Alberto Vite-Frias, Eduardo Galvan-Diez, J.M. Carrasco, Munoz-Cruzado-Alba J., Vite-Frias J.A., Galvan-Diez E.. A new fast peak current controller for transient voltage faults for power converters. 2015 IEEE 15th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC). 2015; ():166-171.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba; Javier Villegas-Nunez; Jose Alberto Vite-Frias; Eduardo Galvan-Diez; J.M. Carrasco; Munoz-Cruzado-Alba J.; Vite-Frias J.A.; Galvan-Diez E.. 2015. "A new fast peak current controller for transient voltage faults for power converters." 2015 IEEE 15th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC) , no. : 166-171.
A new active Q-f droop anti-islanding (AI) algorithm is proposed. The method is based on frequency and reactive power cross-correlation measures. The proposed control technique is intended to fulfill recent and future grid code requirements. The algorithm looks for a zero nondetection zone, adding low disturbances, working with long frequency excursions and nondependence of the power factor setpoint. The method was verified using a set of simulation models developed in PSCAD environment. The tests show results for several quality factors and different active power levels. In addition, a comparative analysis against other AI methods is presented. Experimental and simulation tests provide further insight on the controllers performance under different working conditions, considering several quality factors and active power levels. Moreover, its performance is assessed comparing the proposed controller behavior against state-of-the-art AI methods.
Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba; Javier Villegas-Nunez; Jose Alberto Vite-Frias; Juan Manuel Carrasco-Solis; Eduardo Galvan-Diez. New Low-Distortion $Q$–$f$ Droop Plus Correlation Anti-Islanding Detection Method for Power Converters in Distributed Generation Systems. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 2015, 62, 5072 -5081.
AMA StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba, Javier Villegas-Nunez, Jose Alberto Vite-Frias, Juan Manuel Carrasco-Solis, Eduardo Galvan-Diez. New Low-Distortion $Q$–$f$ Droop Plus Correlation Anti-Islanding Detection Method for Power Converters in Distributed Generation Systems. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 2015; 62 (8):5072-5081.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba; Javier Villegas-Nunez; Jose Alberto Vite-Frias; Juan Manuel Carrasco-Solis; Eduardo Galvan-Diez. 2015. "New Low-Distortion $Q$–$f$ Droop Plus Correlation Anti-Islanding Detection Method for Power Converters in Distributed Generation Systems." IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 62, no. 8: 5072-5081.
In this paper we have tested different Volterra-based behavioral models for wideband power amplifiers (PAs) using an OFDM probing signal. Two PAs have been widely characterized and the measured output complex envelopes have been compared with the model predictions in terms of the normalized mean square error, spectral regrowth and the adjacent channel error power ratio.
Javier Reina-Tosina; Carlos Crespo-Cadenas; Maria J. Madero-Ayora; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba. Performance of nonlinear behavioral models with OFDM signals. 2008 Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits 2008, 105 -108.
AMA StyleJavier Reina-Tosina, Carlos Crespo-Cadenas, Maria J. Madero-Ayora, Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba. Performance of nonlinear behavioral models with OFDM signals. 2008 Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits. 2008; ():105-108.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJavier Reina-Tosina; Carlos Crespo-Cadenas; Maria J. Madero-Ayora; Jesús Muñoz-Cruzado Alba. 2008. "Performance of nonlinear behavioral models with OFDM signals." 2008 Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits , no. : 105-108.