MVDC technologies for solar application

Abstract

Photovoltaics have an important role to play in decarbonizing society. In Europe, 41.4 GW of new solar was installed in 2022, mostly in medium scale power plants (<100 MW)i . As the distance from these photovoltaic (PV) plants to their grid connection increases, the losses in the collector and connection network also increase significantly. There are similar challenges in the dual purpose approaches that are also emerging, such as agro- and linear-PV, where the PV plant is spread over a larger area for a given installed PV power. Medium voltage DC (MVDC) networks have been identified as a viable technical solution for integrating such remote or distributed renewable energy resources to the grid. However, there remain several technical challenges, including the development of DC/DC converters and equipment for protection systems.

Benhur Zolett.

Published in June 2024 – PCIM Magazine