In this paper, a unified equivalent circuit model which can simplify the design and analysis of a family of high voltage (HV) generation architectures based on the series-parallel (LCC) resonant converter is proposed. Firstly, four HV generation architectures are reviewed in terms of the modularization level of HV transformers and rectifiers. Next, the unified equivalent resistor and capacitor (RC) model which can be easily embedded into the resonant tank to replace the complex HV transformers and rectifiers is derived. The generic model can be applied to different architectures, voltage multiplier topologies, stage and polarities number. Further analysis of the power factor of the resonant tank, the voltage gain and electrical stresses of power components is achieved with the derived equivalent circuit model. Subsequently, a comprehensive design methodology considering the power factor, conduction angle and quality factor is presented, which leads to low electrical stresses on the components and high efficiency. Furthermore, the parameter selection constraint based on the power factor, conduction angle and quality factor is derived. Finally, the proposed unified equivalent model and design methodology are validated by the experimental results of a 250V input, 20kV output 500W HV generator hardware prototype with distributed transformers and voltage multipliers.

This paper investigates the diode reverse recovery process and mitigation of Half-Wave(HW) series Cockcroft-Waton(CW) voltage multiplier based on the steady state analysis for high frequency high voltage(HV) generator applications. The diode reverse recovery process for multi-stage voltage multiplier is analyzed after the introduction of steady state operation. The diode reverse recovery problem is the bottle neck to further increasing the circuit switching frequency for achieving high power density and short HV pulse rise and decay times. The diode reverse recovery problem is mainly caused by the diodes in the first stage voltage multiplier. It is suggested that the most effective and economic way to alleviate the diode reverse recovery problem is by employing diodes without reverse recovery such as silicon carbide Schottky diodes in the first stage only. The silicon carbide Schottky diode needs to be used in the first stage of the voltage multiplier to effectively mitigate the reverse recovery at high frequency. The 300kHz frequency 3-stage voltage multiplier prototype experimental results finally validate the analysis. A technology demonstrator of 300kHz 8kW 160kV HV generator based on the proposed hybrid silicon carbide and silicon diode solution for HW series CW voltage multiplier is provided finally.

Although Indonesia’s electrification ratio reached 99.2% in 2020, it has shown stagnating electrification since 2018. This is because most of the remaining areas that need to be electrified are remote and have unique characteristics that hamper implementation of microgrids for providing energy access. Furthermore, not only the deployment but also the long-term sustainability of microgrids is crucial for ensuring continuity of energy access. This paper aims to investigate the scaling and sustainability challenges of remote microgrid development in Indonesia by analyzing microgrids in the Maluku and North Maluku provinces. This study is a two-part publication; the first part focuses on identifying challenges in Indonesia’s remote microgrid development, while the second part focuses on potential technology solutions. In the first part, an assessment of energy access within a multi-tier framework was conducted, which was then analyzed using a multi-dimensional (institutional, social, technical, economic, environmental, and policy) approach adapted from the literature. The framework was expanded by mapping the challenges onto specific phases of the microgrid development, which is intended to be helpful for the parties involved in specific phases. It is shown that the challenges related to unclear land status, lack of social engagement, preliminary survey, technical and practical knowledge, and O&M procedures—especially for remote microgrids with renewable energy sources—are the most prominent issues. Additionally, issues caused by electrical events and environmental conditions such as relatively humid and high-temperatures, and uncontrolled vegetation, rodents, insects, and lizards are often found. Furthermore, a high-level technological outlook to address some of these issues is presented.

We present a prototype of a decentralized power trading system based on the use of distributed ledger technology. This sort of efficient, decentralized marketplace is needed to empower prosumers and make them first-class members of a smart, decentralized power grid in order to drive further renewable energy adoption. Unlike the bulk of previous work in this field, we focus on private permissioned distributed ledgers rather than conventional blockchains. The proposed solution is entirely independent of cryptocurrency, with an explicit design capability of being adapted piecemeal without any fundamental changes to the present regulatory environment. To be economical, efficient, and scalable, our prototype is based on a lean, Corda-based private permissioned distributed ledger. It allows for instant, automatic bidding on and trading of ‘power promises’ and the robust implementation of short-term, small-scale liquid electrical power futures. We demonstrate that the prototype performs well and presents several clear advantages over existing solutions based on conventional blockchains. Therefore, the proposed approach represents a promising, robust solution to the smart grid decentralized power trading problem.

This paper presents a systematic review of microgrid interoperability focusing on energy access. Drawing upon 59 studies and reports, it delves into interoperability issues and technologies across various microgrid applications. This study aims to provide a synthesized overview of the current discourse on microgrid interoperability, particularly contextualized within the realm of energy access. This objective is accomplished through a process that involves clarifying terminologies, exploring potential interoperability issues in microgrids, identifying the technologies for interoperability, and examining promising pathways to achieve interoperability. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method was used in this study. Through data extraction and content analysis, the review found that studies on interoperability in the energy field primarily focus on the smart grid topic, where information and communication technologies are regarded as key elements to facilitate interoperability. There is less emphasis on physical or electrical interoperability, with the literature primarily focusing on interoperability in the communication domain. Furthermore, interoperability in the energy access context is uncommon, as indicated by a lack of literature in remote, rural, or community settings. Adopting common industry standards is one of the strategies for ensuring interoperability, enabling microgrid systems to function effectively and reliably. This paper contributes to describing research insights, identifying gaps in knowledge, and proposing future research directions regarding microgrid interoperability.

High-frequency core loss modeling plays a critical role in the magnetics design of power electronics. However, existing modeling tools fail to achieve both high speed and high precision. The conventional analytical approach enables fast estimations but performs poorly in accuracy. Magnetic loss models aided by loss maps feature high accuracy, but their model parameterization relies on large data. The emerging approach of artificial neural networks (ANNs) provides a promising alternative since it can achieve high speed and accuracy. However, conventional implementations of ANN require a large and accurate dataset for training, which is hard to achieve in magnetic loss modeling. To solve this problem, a knowledge-aware artificial neural network (KANN) is proposed that can achieve high accuracy with small training datasets. After introducing the principle of the proposed KANN, it is applied to high-frequency core loss modeling using the improved generalized Steinmetz equation as additional knowledge. To validate the performance of the proposed KANN-based design method for core loss modeling, it is applied to predict the losses of two ferrite cores in the frequency range of 50–450 kHz. The results show that the proposed method greatly outperforms present loss modeling approaches in accuracy and speed, requiring only a limited training dataset. An automatic loss modeling tool based on the new method is provided together with its open-source code.