Strategies for lowering the environmental impact of different electrochemical energy storage system

The continuous growth of global population brings an exponential increase on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission in the atmosphere contributing to the increase of the planet temperature. Therefore, it is mandatory to adopt renewable energy production systems like photovoltaic or wind power: unfortunately, the main limit of these technologies is the natural intermittence of the energy sources that limits their applicability. The key enabling technology for a widespread usage of clean power sources are electrochemical energy storage systems, most commonly known as batteries. Batteries will enable the storage of energy during overproduction period and the release during low production period stabilizing the power outcome, allowing the connection to the main grid and increasing the applicability of renewable energy sources. Despite the high number of benefits that the widespread use of batteries will bring, starting from the reduction of CO2 emitted in the atmosphere, it is necessary also to take care of the environmental impact of processes and materials used for the production of electrochemical storage systems. In addition, there are many different battery systems, with different chemistries and designs that require specific strategies. Nowadays, the most part of the materials and chemicals used for battery production are toxic for humans and the environment. For this reason, this Ph.D. thesis addresses the challenging scope of lowering the environmental impact of manufacturing processes of different electrochemical energy storage systems using natural derived or low carbon footprint materials while increasing the performances with respect to commercial devices. The activities carried out during my Ph.D. cover a high number of different electrochemical storage systems involving a wide range of electrochemical processes from capacitive to faradic. New materials, different production processes and new battery design, all in view of sustainability and low environmental impact, increased the innovative and challenging aspects of this work.

Grid Connected Doubly Fed Induction Generator Based Wind Turbine under LVRT

This project concentrates on the Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) capability of Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) wind turbine. The main attention in the project is, therefore, drawn to the control of the DFIG wind turbine and of its power converter and to the ability to protect itself without disconnection during grid faults. It provides also an overview on the interaction between variable speed DFIG wind turbines and the power system subjected to disturbances, such as short circuit faults. The dynamic model of DFIG wind turbine includes models for both mechanical components as well as for all electrical components, controllers and for the protection device of DFIG necessary during grid faults. The viewpoint of this project is to carry out different simulations to provide insight and understanding of the grid fault impact on both DFIG wind turbines and on the power system itself. The dynamic behavior of DFIG wind turbines during grid faults is simulated and assessed by using a transmission power system generic model developed and delivered by Transmission System Operator in the power system simulation toolbox Digsilent, Matlab/Simulink and PLECS.

Power Converters and Electric Drives for Smart Grid Applications

The present dissertation aims to explore, theoretically and experimentally, the problems and the potential advantages of different types of power converters for “Smart Grid” applications, with particular emphasis on multi-level architectures, which are attracting a rising interest even for industrial requests. The models of the main multilevel architectures (Diode-Clamped and Cascaded) are shown. The best suited modulation strategies to function as a network interface are identified. In particular, the close correlation between PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) approach and SVM (Space Vector Modulation) approach is highlighted. An innovative multilevel topology called MMC (Modular Multilevel Converter) is investigated, and the single-phase, three-phase and "back to back" configurations are analyzed. Specific control techniques that can manage, in an appropriate way, the charge level of the numerous capacitors and handle the power flow in a flexible way are defined and experimentally validated. Another converter that is attracting interest in “Power Conditioning Systems” field is the “Matrix Converter”. Even in this architecture, the output voltage is multilevel. It offers an high quality input current, a bidirectional power flow and has the possibility to control the input power factor (i.e. possibility to participate to active and reactive power regulations). The implemented control system, that allows fast data acquisition for diagnostic purposes, is described and experimentally verified.