An enhanced DC-DC converter is proposed in this paper, based on the combination of the Cuk and SEPIC converters, which is well-suited for solar photovoltaic (PV) applications. The converter uses only one switch (which is ground-referenced, so simple gate drive circuitry may be used), yet provides dual outputs in the form of a bipolar DC bus. The bipolar output from the DC-DC converter is able to send power to the grid via any inverter with a unipolar or bipolar DC input, and leakage currents can be eliminated if the latter type is used without using lossy DC capacitors in the load current loop. The proposed converter uses integrated magnetics cores to couple the input and output inductors, which significantly reduces the input current ripple and hence greatly improves the power extracted from the solar PV system. The design methodology along with simulation, experimental waveforms, and efficiency measurements of a 4-kW DC-DC converter are presented to prove the concept of the proposed converter. Furthermore, a 1-kW inverter is also developed to demonstrate the converter's grid-connection potential.

Emerging topics such asenvironmental protection and energy utilization have pushed research and development of electric vehicles and hybrid electricvehicles (EVs/HEVs). In the last few decades, numerous technologies have been developed for EV/HEVimportance. In this article, key research topics in the area of EVs/HEVs, namely electric machines, electrochemical energy sources, wireless charging infrastructure, and latest EV/HEV models are covered. This paper aims to consolidate the key emerging technologies in this field and provide the readers a blueprint to begin their own journeys.

The brushless doubly fed induction generator (BDFIG) shows commercial promise for wind power generation due to its lower cost and higher reliability when compared with the conventional DFIG. In the most recent grid codes, wind generators are required to be able to ride through a low-voltage fault and meet the reactive current demand from the grid. A low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) capability is therefore important for wind generators which are integrated into the grid. In this paper, the authors propose a control strategy enabling the BDFIG to successfully ride through a symmetrical voltage dip. The control strategy has been implemented on a 250-kW BDFIG, and the experimental results indicate that the LVRT is possible without a crowbar.

Extensive use of amateur drones (ADrs) poses a threat to the public safety due to their possible misuse. Hence, surveillance drones (SDrs) are utilized to detect and eliminate potential threats. However, limited battery, and lack of efficient communication and networking solutions degrade the quality of surveillance. To this end, we conceptualize the Energy Neutral Internet of Drones (enIoD) to enable enhanced connectivity between drones by overcoming energy limitations for autonomous and continuous operation. Power provisioning with recharging stations is introduced by wireless power transfer to energize the drones. Renewable energy harvesting is utilized to realize energy neutrality, which is minimization of deficit in harvested and consumed energy in enIoD. Communication and networking architectures and protocols for realization of multi-dimensional objectives are presented. Finally, possible application areas are explained with a case study to show how enIoD operates.

This paper presents an analysis and design of a new boost type six-switch five-level Active Neutral Point Clamped (ANPC) inverter based on switched/flying capacitor technique with self-voltage balancing. Compared to major conventional 5-level inverter topologies, such as, Neutral Point Clamped (NPC), Flying Capacitor (FC), Cascaded H-bridge (CHB) and Active NPC (ANPC) topologies, the new topology reduces the dc-link voltage requirement by 50%. Whilst reducing the dc-link voltage requirement, the number and the size of the active and passive components are also reduced without compromising the reactive power capability. The analysis shows that the proposed topology is suitable for wide range of power conversion applications (for example, rolling mills, fans, pumps, marine appliances, mining, tractions, and most prominently grid-connected renewable energy systems). Experimental results from a 1.2-kVA prototype justifies the concept of the proposed inverter with a conversion efficiency of around 97.5% ± 1% for a wide load range.