Electrical Design Project

10kVA Grid Tie Inverter

Lindokuhle Phungula

212509903

Supervisor: Prof JT Agee

External Examiner: Engr. Areno Singh

(Phase 1 Report)

I hereby declare that all the work in this report is original and true. All that is acquired in other
sources has been acknowledged. I am familiar with the plagiarism policy UKZN.

29 July 2016
Abstract
In this report, a 10 kVA grid tie inverter design is proposed. The proposed design is expected to
be easier to build and have the highest efficiency compared to the existing state of the art inverters.
The grid tie inverter help the electricity buyers utilize free electricity from the sun while paying
very little for the fossil based electricity. The renewable energy is currently expensive compared
to the conventional fossil energy. However, less maintenance is needed on the renewable energy
equipment since it contains no moving objects during its operation, i.e. there is no wear and tear
of parts taking place. Power inverters come into different topologies and each topology has its uses
and limitations. Pure sine wave inverters are ideal and very expensive compared to other inverter
topologies. The proposed design offers to use a boost converter for stepping up the voltage to a
required ac level of 230 V rms, while most inverters in the market used a transformer to step up
the voltage.

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Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... i
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Electrical inverter .................................................................................................................................. 2
3. Classification of inverter ....................................................................................................................... 2
3.1 Square wave inverter .................................................................................................................... 2
3.2 Modified sine wave inverter ......................................................................................................... 3
3.3 Pure sine wave inverter ................................................................................................................ 3
3.4 H-Bridge inverter........................................................................................................................... 3
4. Inverter applications ............................................................................................................................. 4
5. Grid synchronization ............................................................................................................................. 4
6. Proposed inverter design ...................................................................................................................... 4
7. Power inverter protection systems ...................................................................................................... 5
7.1 Over temperature shutdown ........................................................................................................ 5
7.2 Automatic overload protection .................................................................................................... 5
7.3 Ground fault protection ................................................................................................................ 5
7.4 Short Circuit Protection ................................................................................................................ 5
8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 6
9. References ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................... 8

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 1. Introduction
The world energy demand is increasing at an exponential rate. This is due to the population rate
that seem to be getting harder to control. Hence, the search for energy sources other than fossil
fuels is no longer a luxury. Although fossil fuels offer a temporary solution to this energy crisis,
they are harmful to the environment. This has opened doors for research on renewable energy
technology and other researches in the fields of power electronics and hence, utilizing the
renewable energy is at an ever decreasing rate [1].

One such source of renewable energy is the sun. The sun offers unlimited energy for harnessing
and for this very reason, photovoltaic (PV) systems consisting of PV modules, for generating
environmentally friendly power are gaining more recognition lately. The PV modules comprise of
several solar cells which convert the energy of the sunlight directly into electricity, and are
connected as required to provide desired levels of DC power. The major drawback of the PV
systems is that their cost is higher compared to the conventional sources such as fossil fuels and
their efficiency is quite low.

Power semiconductor devices represent the heart of the modern power electronics, and are being
extensively used in power electronic converters in the form of a matrix of ON or OFF switches,
and help to convert power from one form to another. There are four basic conversion functions
that normally can be implemented such as AC-AC, AC-DC, DC-AC and DC-DC. Inverter is one
of the converter families which are called DC-AC converter. It converts DC power to AC power
to a symmetric AC output voltage at desired magnitude and frequency [2]. Inverter is widely used
in industrial applications such as speed AC motor drives, induction heating, standby power
supplies and uninterruptible power supplies. The DC power input of inverter is obtained from the
existing power supply network, this can be a battery, photovoltaic, wind energy, fuel cell or other
DC sources.

A classic inverter consists of a PV module for energy conversion from solar to electrical, battery
for energy storage (DC power), switching circuit for DC to AC conversion, filter for harmonic
reduction and delivering of nearly constant current and a step-up transformer for acquiring the AC
voltage level desired.

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 2. Electrical inverter
An electrical inverter is a device that converts DC voltage to a required ac voltage. In this project,
the DC source is assumed to be coming from the PV module interfaced with a battery as shown in
Figure 1 below.

Step-up
PV module Inverter Filter Grid
transformer

Battery

Figure 1: State of the art inverter.

Hence, the PV modules can be connected together such a way that they collect as much energy as
possible to meet the 10 kVA specification. Normally a maximum power point tracking (MPPT)
algorithm is connected to the PV module to improve the efficiency of the PV module [5]. Some of
the well-known MPPT algorithms are; incremental conduction (IC), perturb and observe (P&O)
and fractional short circuit current (FSCC) [5]. Batteries with a suitable storing capacity can be
stacked also such that the 10 kVA specification is met. The batteries play a role of supplying the
grid with power when there is power outage on the grid and they are put to ensure a constant input
power to the inverter stage.

3. Classification of inverter
Inverter are basically classified into two major types, and these are single phase inverter and three
phase inverter. This report focuses on the single phase inverter topologies as they are discussed
below.

3.1 Square wave inverter

This is an ancient inverter topology and is no longer relevant for modern inverters [1]. This is
because the square wave units could be harmful to some electronic components and equipment,
especially equipment with transformers or motors. The square wave output has a high harmonic
content, which can lead such equipment to overheat and get damaged before they reach their
lifespan.

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 3.2 Modified sine wave inverter
The most common, and mostly used inverter topology. Usually available at more moderate pricing
compared to pure sine wave topologies or models. Modified square wave (or modified sine wave
and Quasi sine wave) output inverters are designed to have better characteristics than square wave
inverters, while being relatively cheap. Modified sine wave inverter does not offer the same perfect
electrical output as the pure sine wave inverter [1]. As such, a negative by-product of modified
output is electrical noise, which can prevent modified sine wave inverters from properly powering
certain loads. For example, many televisions and stereos use power supplies that are unable to
eliminate common mode noise. As a result, powering such equipment with modified sine wave
inverter may cause a “grain” or small amount of “snow” on the video picture, or “hum” on the
sound system. Also, most appliances with timing devices, such as light dimmers, battery chargers,
and variable speed devices may not work well.

3.3 Pure sine wave inverter

Pure or true sine wave inverters provide electrical power similar to the utility power received from
ESKOM or municipality, which is highly reliable and does not produce electrical noise
interference compared with the other types of inverters [2]. With its “perfect” sine wave output,
the power produced by the inverter fully assures that any sensitive load will be correctly powered,
without interference. Some of the appliances that are likely to require pure sine wave include
audio/visual equipment, battery chargers, light dimmers and calibrated measuring equipment.

3.4 H-Bridge inverter

This inverter topology is easy to make yet it is better than the square wave and modified sine wave
inverters. The H-bridge inverter easily takes a DC input voltage and converts into ac output voltage
and frequency as grid standard, 230 V and 50 Hz (South Africa) [4]. The H-bridge inverter has
high conversion efficiency, low stress and easily interfaced with renewable energy source such as
PV module as shown in Figure 2.

Q1 Q3

DC Source Q4 Q2
Load/Grid

Figure 2: H-bridge inverter topology.

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In switching process, four switches are dived into two groups. Q1 and Q2 form the first group and
Q3 and Q4 form the second group. When the first group is turned ON, the second group is forced
to turn OFF and vice versa.

4. Inverter applications
Due to grid limitations of reaching out to everyone who needs electricity, inverters were developed
as a means to provide electricity to people who cannot access it. In such situations inverters are
used to power home appliances such as microwaves, power tools, televisions, lights, audio/visual
equipment, battery chargers, computers and welding equipment. Pure sine wave inverters are ideal
for running sensitive test equipment such as communications equipment, oscilloscopes, scales etc.

Grid tie inverter (GTI) specifically is used to transmit power from the renewable energy source
such as PV module to the grid. This makes the overall quantity of electricity bought from the grid
to decrease as during the day all the appliances are powered by the inverter and only use the grid
power at night and during unsunny days.

5. Grid synchronization
The grid tie inverter is directly connected to the grid, hence its output voltage should maintain a
fixed requirement, 230 V, so that it may provide power to the grid [4]. The requirements are given
below:

 The output voltage magnitude should be equal to grid voltage, as defined in the Regulations
of the Electricity Act, 1987 (Act No. 41 of 1987) [4].
 The inverter frequency should be equal as grid frequency (50 Hz in South Africa).
 The output phase should be the same as the grid phase.
 The voltage angle should be greater than the grid voltage angle so that the power can be
transmitted from the PV module to grid utility.
 The compatibility levels for harmonics on the inverter must be in accordance with the
values given in Table 6 of the NRS-048:2003.

6. Proposed inverter design

The classic inverter uses a transformer to step up the ac voltage to a required ac level and to provide
isolation. Similarly, the proposed grid tie inverter has a transformer for isolation and to provide
earth, as per the requirement of National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) [4]. The
difference is that the voltage is stepped up by means of a boost converter. Hence, the transformer
to use is a one-to-one transformer. However, since harmonics and quality of supply is the main
consideration. If the harmonic of boost converter is more than transformer harmonic it is better to
use a transformer for stepping up the voltage, but transformers are bulky whereas the boost
converter circuit is light in weight. Harmonic of a wave is a component frequency that is integer
multiple of fundamental frequency. Harmonic components in the output waveform result from
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high switching mode in the inverter topology [4]. Hence, a passive filter is normally connected at
the inverter stage. The proposed inverter is shown as a block diagram in Figure 3 below.

PV module Boost converter Inverter Filter

Grid

Isolation
Battery
transformer

Figure 3: Proposed inverter design.

7. Power inverter protection systems

7.1 Over temperature shutdown
When a power inverter converts power over its capacity or very close to its rated capacity it may
overheat and breakdown. In order to prevent this from happening, sensitive heat sensors are placed
inside the power inverter, and the decision they take at high temperatures is to shut down the
inverter or decrease the power transmitted.

7.2 Automatic overload protection

These sensors prevent breakdown caused by burns of parts which are caused by power load which
exceeds the capacity of the inverter [3]. This protection system gives the necessary warning to the
user such as shutting down the inverter or decreasing the power transferred.

7.3 Ground fault protection

In high capacity solar cell power inverters, grounding systems are essential. In order to protect the
devices that are connected to the system and in order for the inverter to work more efficiently, the
grounding should be done properly. If a high capacity power inverter has not been grounded
properly, by means of the protection system that it has inside, it will warn the user and carry out
the necessary processes. If grounding is not done properly, ground, not short circuit connection is
carried out automatically and thus the system is protected [3].

7.4 Short Circuit Protection

By means of this protection system, the short circuit problem which is caused by the output cables
touching one another due to user misuse is prevented. During short circuit, the device is
immediately put on passive condition and is shut down. Other names for this protection system are
known as AC Over current protection and DC Over current protection.

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 8. Conclusion
The project was selected with the aim of assisting the current buyers of electricity in reducing the
usage of fossil electricity which seem to be increasing in price more often. This can also help the
country to develop further by having more people accessing electricity because there will be more
power on the grid available to accommodate more customers. Money wise, the project itself is
quite expensive but that should not be a constraint because once built, the user can enjoy free
electricity for quite a long time. With no moving parts such as cranks and shafts inside the design,
the lifespan could be very long roughly 5 years or more when used correctly.

The research on PV modules and battery prices was conducted and the combination of the two is
relatively expensive, ranging from several hundreds of Rands and more [3]. Hence, for testing
purposes it has been proposed that at least a 10 kVA power supply is used instead of changing the
design specification. One thing to note is that the project involves a high DC voltage which is
approximately 350 V (peak) and this calls for a serious caution whenever working on the project.
Also the current involved is quite large, ~400 A at the input when the voltage is 24 V and ~40 A
at the output when the voltage is 230 V (rms), hence a short circuit has to be monitored at all times
to avoid accidents. The project plan has been included as a gantt chart in Appendix A.

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 9. References

[1] T. K. Kwang, S. Masri, “Single phase grid tie inverter for photovoltaic application,” Proc.
IEEE Sustainable Utilization and Development in Engineering and Technology Conf., pp. 23-28.
Nov 2010.

[2] N.Kasa & t.Iida “ A Transformer-less Single Phase Inverter using a Buck-Boost type
Chopper Circuit for Photovoltaic Power System” Proceeding of ICPE’98, Soeul, pp.978-981.

[3] Instructables, “Power Inverter protection”, and © 2015 Autodesk, Inc. [Online] Available:
http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-technology/inverter-protection/ [Accessed: 3
June 2016]

[4] NRS 048-2:2003, Electricity of supply- Quality of supply. [Online] Available:

http://www.stansa.co.za, [Accessed: 7 July 2016]. ISBN 0-626-15179-1

[5] Lucian Milea, Adrian Zafiu, Orest Oltu and Monica Dascalu (2010). Theory, Algorithms and
Applications for Solar Panel MPP Tracking, Solar Collectors and Panels, Theory and
applications, Dr. Reccab Manyala (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-142-8

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Appendix A