Inverter Power Factor Control for Solar Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In conventional power generation systems, a uniform power factor is set for all inverters, leading to inefficiencies when solar radiation varies across photovoltaic cell panels, resulting in surplus capacity and missed opportunities to increase active power generation.
Innovation Solution
A power generation system where a high-order device communicates with multiple inverters to adjust active and reactive power output, allowing a specific inverter with surplus capacity to increase reactive power and another inverter to increase active power, maintaining a predetermined power factor across the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a uniform power factor is set for all inverters, then the control is simple and the power factor at grid connection point can be maintained, but the active power generation capacity is reduced when solar radiation varies across photovoltaic panels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the power generation system into multiple independent control units (inverters), each capable of individual active and reactive power control. The control device segments the total active power command into inverter-specific commands based on each inverter's available capacity, allowing differentiated power factor settings for each inverter while maintaining overall system coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements different power factor settings for different inverters based on their local conditions (available capacity from photovoltaic panels). Each inverter operates with an optimized power factor tailored to its specific situation, rather than applying a uniform power factor across all inverters, thereby maximizing overall active power generation.
2Device complexity
If the power factor is set to be the same in all inverters, then the system control is straightforward, but opportunity to increase active power is lost when some inverters have surplus capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic power factor adjustment for each inverter based on real-time conditions. The control device continuously monitors the available capacity of each inverter and dynamically adjusts the active power command accordingly, allowing the power factor to vary dynamically across different inverters to maximize active power output while maintaining manageable control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power factor parameter individually for each inverter based on its available capacity. When an inverter has surplus capacity (lower active power generation due to reduced solar radiation), its power factor is adjusted to allow higher active power output, while other inverters maintain their original power factor settings, thereby optimizing total system active power without excessive complexity.
3Productivity
If active power is increased in inverters with surplus capacity, then the overall active power generation increases, but the power factor at grid connection point may deviate from the required value
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control mechanism where the control device receives information about each inverter's available capacity and the overall system's power factor performance. Based on this feedback, the control device adjusts the active power commands for individual inverters to maximize active power generation while ensuring the aggregate power factor at the grid connection point meets the required value.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes each inverter capable of performing multiple functions: generating active power, providing reactive power, and participating in overall power factor control. The control device coordinates these multiple functions across all inverters, allowing the system to simultaneously increase active power generation from inverters with surplus capacity while maintaining compliance with power factor requirements through collective adjustment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach increases the overall active power generation capacity of the system while maintaining a consistent power factor, optimizing energy output even under varying solar radiation conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of photovoltaic cell panels for outputting DC power
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of inverters for converting the DC power into AC power
Data Source
AI summary
A power generation system includes a plurality of photovoltaic cell panels for outputting DC power, a plurality of inverters for converting DC power into AC power, and a high-order device for communicating with the plurality of inverters. The high-order device is configured to acquire a predetermined power factor, and transmit a command value to each of the plurality of inverters so that the power factor corresponding to the predetermined power factor is achieved by a total output of the plurality of inverters. The high-order device is configured so as to determine a specific inverter that has room to increase the amount of reactive power output from among the plurality of inverters, to transmit a reactive power increasing command value for increasing reactive power to the specific inverter.