Alexis Kwasinski

Power Electronic Systems Research

at

The University of Texas at Austin

 Overview

• Introduction

• Microgrids
• Planning: Lifelines, renewable energy sources and energy
storage availability modeling
• Circuits: Multiple-input dc-dc converters and power routing
interfaces
• Control: constant power loads and maximum power point
tracking

• Smart Grids
•Pecan Street “customer side of the meter”

• Data centers and other relevant topics

 Introduction
• Top to Bottom Research Approach

• Power electronics research often refers to:

• circuits
• controls
• devices

• But significant issues appears when integrating all

components into systems. Analysis from a system approach
tends to be uncommon in traditional power electronics
research.

• Some key focus topics from a system approach includes

modeling, availability, energy efficiency, operational flexibility.
 Problem Formulation
• Conventional power grids are very fragile systems

• Work underway in modeling

hurricane intensity as a function
of their effect on conventional
power grids
 Microgrids
• What is a microgrid?
• Microgrids are considered to be locally confined and independently
controlled electric power grids in which a distribution architecture integrates
loads and distributed energy resources—i.e. local distributed generators
and energy storage devices—which allows the microgrid to operate
connected or isolated to a main grid
 Microgrids
• Highly available power supply during disasters
•Power electronic enabled micro-grids may be the solution that achieves
reliable power during disasters (e.g. NTT’s micro-grid in Sendai, Japan)
 Microgrids
• Highly available power supply during disasters
• Focus on critical loads, such as communications facilities.
• E.g. Verizon’s Garden City Central Office after Irene.
 Power Electronics Research

• Research view for power electronics systems

• Selected applications:
– power during natural disasters
– electric ship
– microgrids
 Microgrids Availability
• Calculation using minimal cut sets

• A minimal cut set is a group of components such that if all fail the
system also fails but if any one of them is repaired then the system is
no longer in a failed state. Much simpler than Markov approaches.

• Approximation with highly available components and no energy

storage: M
U MG   P( K j )
C

j 1
 Microgrids
• Lifelines and energy storage
• Local generators depend on other infrastructures, called lifelines (e.g.
natural gas distribution networks or roads)

• But lifelines can be affected by the natural disaster like conventional grids.

• Approaches to address lifeline dependencies:

• Diverse power source technologies
• Local Energy Storage: U  U e  FW TBAT
MG ,T MG
 Microgrids
• Renewable energy sources
• Renewable energy sources do not need lifelines, but their output varies
and they have large footprints.

• Approaches to address variable output:

• Diverse power source technologies (combine PV and wind)
• Add energy storage
 Microgrids
• Renewable energy sources
• Markov based availability modeling of renewable energy sources
considering energy storage

6 MW PV + 1.5 MW Wind – 700 Housing Load (944 kW)

(Example) 0.4 days × 24 hours × 944 kW = 9.06 MWh

• The model can predict effects of

temperature, dust, and other practical
issues
 Multiple-input converters
• Cost effective solution for integrating diverse power
sources without compromising reliability or efficiency.
• Effective way for integrating power sources with inherently
low output voltage (e.g. fuel cells, PV cells, batteries) by
reducing the number of series connected cells.

Microturbines
with bio fuel
Dual-input
converters
Load

Fuel cells
with locally
reformed Load following
natural gas energy storage
 Multiple-input converters
• Modular approach.
• Both voltage-source and current-source input modules
(suitable for fuel cells or PV modules) have been developed.
 Microgrids
• Multiple-input converters.
• Example: Isolated and non-isolated multiple-input SEPIC

N 2 ( D1,i E1  D2,i E2 )
Vout ,i 
N1 (1  D1,i  D2,i )
 Microgrids
• Multiple-input converters.
Non Isolated CCM Non Isolated CCM

Non Isolated DCM Isolated CCM

Efficiency
 Microgrids
• Power routers (MIMO converters): application of
MICs in distribution systems

• Example of application in a possible power

architecture for the Navy’s electric ship.
 Microgrids
• Control: Constant-Power loads
• dc power architectures is a natural choice for microgrids
integrating various sources, energy storage and modern loads.
• dc microgrids comprise cascade distributed architectures –
converters act as interfaces
•Point-of-load converters present constant-power-load (CPL)
characteristics
0 if v(t )  Vlim

i (t )   PL
if v(t )  Vlim
 v(t )
dvB PL
z   2
diB iB
•CPLs introduce a destabilizing effect in dc microgrids
 Microgrids
• Control: Constant-Power loads

E1  400V , E 2  450V , PL1  5 kW , PL 2  10 kW ,

LLINE  5 H , RLINE  10m, CDCPL  1mF
L  0.5mH , C  1mF , D1  0.5, D2  0.54, RL  0.8
• Without proper controls large oscillations and/or voltage collapse is
observed.
• We were the first ones to show why the conventional approach of using PID
controllers was a valid one.
 Microgrids
• Control: Constant-Power loads
• New approach: boundary control.
• Uses state-dependent switching (q = q(x))
• First-order boundary (linear switching surface
with a negative slope)
• Valid for all types of converters

• Robust
• Very fast response
• Easy to implement
 Microgrids
• Arcs and faults study
• Model developed for arcs in series faults.
• Study of parallel faults in power
electronics-based systems.
 Microgrids
• Arcs and faults study
• Comparison of ac and dc systems (ac faults are electrically malign, dc
faults are mechanically hazardous).

DC arcs last longer

AC series faults show voltage

spikes during re-strikes
 Microgrids
•Control: Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
• Focus on digital implementation
• Methods based on root finding algorithms
• Developed a Modified Regula Falsi Method that ensures convergence
faster than other methods Secant Method Regula Falsi Method
38 38
h0
h1

Vpv (Volts)

Vpv (Volts)
f : d P /d V

Pl ( xl, f(xl) ) 36 36

Pc0 ( c0, f(c0) ) 34 34

32 32
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
Time (Seconds) Time (Seconds)
Bisection Method Modified Regula Falsi Method
xu 38 38
xl c0 X Vpv (Volts)

Vpv (Volts)
36 36
P'u ( xu, f(xu)/2 )
34 34

Pu ( xu, f(xu) )
32 32
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
Time (Seconds) Time (Seconds)
 Microgrids
•Control of a self-sustained micro-grid
• Development of a micro-grid model

• Development of control approaches

 Islanding detection
m 0  t  9T
•Modulation strategy: mi   op
9T  t  10T
mover  1.1
 mover
• mover is set to 1.1 in order to provide a good tradeoff between
introducing sufficient harmonics into the system without exceeding
the prescribed limit of 5% THD in IEEE Std 519-1992
• Instead of measuring the THD of the system, only one or two
voltage harmonics are measured (typically the 5th and 7th)
• Advantages: smaller NDZ, no need for non-linear load, distortion
injected during a short time, no synchronization issues.
0.03

M o d u la tio n
1.1

in d e x
Over-Modulation period
M a g n itud e w .r.t.

1
fu n d am e n ta l

0.02 0.9
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4
Time, s
2

V o lta g e , kV
0.01
S yste m 0

-1
Synchronized with Grid Voltage
0 -2
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Time, s
Harmonics
 Islanding detection
• Experimental results
• THD with the grid-connected inverter
is 3.9 % (even with a very weak grid)

Inverter
output
Modulation Signal

5th Harm.

Normal operation Inverter

output

5th Harm.
Islanding detection
 A smart grid vision
• Based at a local level, through microgrids or
residential-level energy management systems
 Pecan Street
• Customer focus
• Traditional grids: Generation focus

• Smart grids represent a paradigm change: now the focus in on

customers

• New questions:
• What do customers want?
• How do they behave?
• How do evaluate their behavior in order to obtain meaningful
information? What information we need to look at?
• How do we measure without affecting our measured parameters (smart
grid version of Heisenberg uncertainty principle)?

• The paradigm change implies designing a very complex experiment.

 Pecan Street Research
• Highlighted research areas

• Residential technologies

• Electric vehicles (EV)

• Grid’s power distribution modeling.

• Data management and analysis

 Residential-level Research
• Home Energy Management Systems

• Work originated in “Customer Side of the Meter” team

• Initial work providing support for testing data collection

systems before being deployed.

• Next, interoperability studies, effects of different pricing

models, development of energy management strategies (at
home research lab), and load pattern recognition.

• Special focus is on electric vehicles (EVs) charging, PV power

generation and energy storage management.
 Residential-level Research
• HEMS averaging rate

15’’ rate measurement

Conventional
measurement (15’ rate)

• Observations:
• Energy
consumption is the
same but power
consumption is not
the same.
 Residential-level Research
• Varying time resolution (60 minutes)

• What is the optimal time resolution to meet the energy

management goals?
• Consequences affecting data storage and processing.
• Lessons to be used for load pattern recognition and HEMS
management algorithms.
12

Source: Scott Hinson 0

04:00 08:00 12:00 16:00 20:00
 Residential-level Research
• Varying time resolution (15 minutes)

• What is the optimal time resolution to meet the energy

management goals?
• Consequences affecting data storage and processing.
• Lessons to be used for load pattern recognition and HEMS
management algorithms.
12

Source: Scott Hinson 0

04:00 08:00 12:00 16:00 20:00
 Residential-level Research
• Varying time resolution (1 minute)

• What is the optimal time resolution to meet the energy

management goals?
• Consequences affecting data storage and processing.
• Lessons to be used for load pattern recognition and HEMS
management algorithms.
12

Source: Scott Hinson 0

04:00 08:00 12:00 16:00 20:00
 Residential-level Research
• PV power generation
• Factors to be assessed:
• Relationship with disaggregated loads (particularly a/c and EV)
• Coordinated PV, EV, air conditioning and energy storage
operation.
• Effects of coordinated generation at neighborhood level.
• Optimum orientation and usage patterns
• Additional functionalities from local generation
 Residential-level Research
• Electric vehicles (EVs) charge management

• Two proposed research thrusts:

• High-level: Wind-aligned PEV
charging and aggregated PEV
ancillary services
• End-level: Intelligent charging
algorithms.

• Research interests:
• (PV + a/c) - HEMS - EV coordination
in terms of communications and control.
• EV communications security
• Identifying EV charging profiles.
 Residential-level Research
• EVs, air conditioning, PV coordination

Weekday, August 2011

Source: Scott Hinson

 Residential-level Research
• HEMS role in EV charge coordination

• Notice that grid and data

clouds are separated
 HEM Planning
• Interoperability

• Two levels:
• Hardware (power architecture)
• Software (communications
and control).

• Two domains:
• Internal, within home
• External, with the grid and
other surrounding infrastructures (e.g. natural gas,
roads, and water)
 Hardware Interoperability
• Interoperability (power architectures)

• dc elements:
• Energy Storage
• Local generation (PV, wind, fuel cells; at higher power
levels microturbines).
• Loads (computers, entertaining systems, lights, more
energy efficient appliances and air conditioners, EVs).

• ac elements:
• The grid
• Heating and conventional loads (lights, air conditioners).
 Modeling
• Mueller area power distribution
• Matlab/simpower-based
• Includes PV, EV and other assets
 Modeling
• Mueller area power distribution
• Results
 Hardware Interoperability
• Power factor

• Low power factor due to harmonic content and reactive power

• Lights
• Air conditioning

Source: Scott Hinson

• Interoperability issues:
• PV inverters provide power at unity power factor.
• PV generation assets may provide all real power needed in
the neighborhood so the electric utility is left providing only
harmonics and reactive power.
 Hardware Interoperability
• PV integration

• Grid-tied (utility centered)

• Most widely used PV integration approach.

• PV and home operation subject to grid operation: Due to
IEEE 1547, the inverter cannot power the home when the
grid is not present.
• Power factor issues with high penetration of PV
 Hardware Interoperability
• PV integration
• Customer centered approaches
• More equal interoperable approaches (but far less common
or inexistent):
 Emergency Operations
• HEMS operation in disasters
• General architecture intended
for operation during extreme
events

• Communications may
be limited.

• HEMS managing local

resources and loads to
optimize power availability
 Data centers
• Issues in the conventional approach

• Data centers represent a noticeable fast increasing load.

• Increasing power-related costs, likely to equal and exceed

ICT equipment cost in the near to mid-term future.
 Data centers
• Solutions under study

• Analysis of power architectures for highly available and efficient data

centers:
• Large data centers with dc micro-grids
• Stand alone and small distributed and modular data centers with
photons used as a proxy for dispatchable electrons.
 Distributed data centers
• Energy use - efficiency in new approach

• Energy is used more effectively.

• Generation inefficiencies is energy that is not harvested (i.e.
converted), contrary to inefficiencies in conventional power plants
which represent power losses.
 Distributed data centers
• Advantages
• Cost savings: fiber optics costs several orders of magnitude less
than electricity transmission lines cost.

• Reduced need for batteries

• DC power architecture

• Cooling infrastructure may be avoided

• Enable a higher penetration of renewables

• More robust and secure system (both in normal conditions and in

extreme events).

• Fully independent from the grid or grid connected.

 Other Relevant Topics
• Additional projects in power electronics systems at UT
• Modeling of charging demand from electric vehicles

• Power supply to extract oil from algae cells

 A. Kwasinski Profile
• Previous 10 years experience in telecom power industry
(significant part of it in Lucent Technologies Power Systems
– now Lineage / GE Energy).

•Publications sample
 A. Kwasinski, “Identification of Feasible Topologies for Multiple-Input dc-dc Converters,” IEEE
Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 856-861, March 2009.
 S. Bae and A. Kwasinski, “Dynamic Modeling and Operation Strategy for a Microgrid with Wind and
Photovoltaic Resources,” in press IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
 A. Kwasinski and C. N. Onwuchekwa, “Dynamic Behavior and Stabilization of dc Micro-grids with
Instantaneous Constant-Power Loads.” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, in print.
 A. Kwasinski “Quantitative Evaluation of dc Micro-Grids Availability: Effects of System Architecture and
Converter Topology Design Choices.” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, in print.
 A. Kwasinski, P. T. Krein and P. Chapman, "Time domain Comparison of Pulse-Width Modulation
Schemes," in IEEE Power Electronics Letters, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 64-68, Sep. 2003.
 A. Kwasinski, V. Krishnamurthy, J. Song, and R. Sharma, “Availability Evaluation of Micro-Grids for
Resistant Power Supply During Natural Disasters,” in press IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid.
 J. Song, V. Krishnamurthy, A. Kwasinski, and R. Sharma, “Development of a Markov Chain Based
Energy Storage Model for Power Supply Availability Assessment of Photovoltaic Generation Plants,” in
press IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy
 A. Kwasinski Profile
• Relevant awards
 2011 IBM Faculty Innovation Award
 2009 NSF CAREER Award
 2007 Best Paper Award at INTELEC
 2005 Joseph Suozzi Fellowship
• Lab capabilities and research group
 Currently supervising 8 graduate students
 Power electronics lab developed by the researcher and fully
prepared for advanced research in power electronics and
power related systems. Some relevant equipment:
 Advanced power analyzer and oscilloscopes
 Multi-kW level loads and power sources
 Computers for simulations and analysis
 Dynamometer bed for electric motor cycle study.