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John O | April 2017

Fraunhofer study examines electromechanical components in PV inverters


a recent study conducted at the fraunhofer institute for solar energy systems in freiburg, germany explored means for making the production of photovoltaic (pv) inverters more cost-effective through reimagining the electromechanical components, including the cooling components.

 



sectional view through the pv-inverter model. (fraunhofer ise)

 

the pv-pack project seeks to find innovative solutions for highly-integrated pv inverters in the power range of 30-70 kw. the fraunhofer institute has partnered with sma solar technology ag and phoenix contact gmbh to find new production models.

 

according to the fraunhofer site, “the two-stage inverter platform consists of five mpp tracker and three neutral-point-clamped inverter bridges. the use of sic-mosfets enables a high overall degree of efficiency, even at high switching frequencies.

 

“the so-called ‘hot core’ is the central element for cooling the semiconductors. to minimize material use for the cooling element, the maximum temperature of the cooling element was increased from the usual 80-105°c and highly thermally conductive materials used.”

 

the article continued, “to reduce the costs for circuit boards and circuit board connections between the assemblies, the 70 kw pv inverter is mainly fitted with components, whose designs do not differ significantly from components used in pv inverters with significantly smaller outputs. the developed experimental platform convinces with a high power density of 500 w/dm³, a high degree of efficiency, and the use of cost-effective mechanical and electromechanical components.”

 

the project was featured on pv-magazine.com. the article explained, “by focusing on lowering the temperature of the inverter’s various temperature zones, the researchers could then fit cost-efficient components – that tend to have lower temperature requirements – into these new, cooler zones.

 

“additionally, by using silicon carbide semiconductors (sic) the research team could increase power density and further reduce material size. sic has increased switching frequency, and thus enables a reduction in the size of the passive elements in the inverter.”

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