The Impact of Short Timescale Variations in Operational Environment on the Output of PV Systems

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Project Detail:
Solar photovoltaic (PV) device power output responds extremely quickly to changes in incident light levels (sub-millisecond) and rather more slowly to changes in temperature (seconds or minutes). However, almost all solar radiation data available for PV site analysis and system performance monitoring is provided as hourly averages. This has an observable distortion of the distribution of operating conditions, with implications for energy yield and system component failure ratings. This PhD project will investigate several aspects of temporal variation, from reanalysis of the solar resource, through non-linear PV system response, to impact on electricity grid injection and balancing of supply and demand at point of use.

The work will seek to extract more useful information from existing hourly averaged data stocks through a combination of solar irradiance modelling and back-propagation analysis of high time resolution measurement data from a small number of highly-instrumented locations. Modelling of instantaneous DC power output from PV modules will be undertaken at sub-hourly scales, to yield accurate quantification of peak stresses in the devices and peak current injection into power conditioning electronics (grid-tied inverters and battery charge controllers). The response of such power electronics will be assessed to predict influences on the output side, which may feed into AC injection or self-consumption studies.

Entry requirements:
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in Physics, Maths, Electronic and Electrical Engineering or a related subject. A relevant Master’s degree and/or experience in one or more of the following will be an advantage: Renewable Energy, Solar Photovoltaics, Statistics

Contact details:
Name: Dr Tom Betts
Email address: [Email Address Removed]
Telephone number: 01509 635320

How to apply:
All applications should be made online at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/. Under programme name, select Electronic & Electrical Engineering

Please quote reference number: WS12