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Title: Mead photovoltaic system controller

Abstract

A system controller has been designed, built, tested, and in operation for one year at MIT/Lincoln Laboratory's 25-kW-peak Solar Photovoltaic Power System located at Mead, Nebraska. The controller allows the site to operate without human intervention, and has brought to light some of the problems of charge-control algorithms in a deep-discharge environment.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Lexington (USA). Lincoln Lab.
OSTI Identifier:
6357516
Report Number(s):
COO-4094-27
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-02-4094
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; CONTROL SYSTEMS; DESIGN; OPERATION; PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES; ALGORITHMS; ELECTRIC BATTERIES; FABRICATION; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; POWER RANGE 10-100 KW; TESTING; ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS; ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT; ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS; MATHEMATICAL LOGIC; POWER SUPPLIES; 140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion

Citation Formats

Millner, A.R. Mead photovoltaic system controller. United States: N. p., 1979. Web. doi:10.2172/6357516.
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Millner, A.R. Mead photovoltaic system controller. United States. doi:10.2172/6357516.
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Millner, A.R. Wed . "Mead photovoltaic system controller". United States. doi:10.2172/6357516. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6357516.
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@article{osti_6357516,
title = {Mead photovoltaic system controller},
author = {Millner, A.R.},
abstractNote = {A system controller has been designed, built, tested, and in operation for one year at MIT/Lincoln Laboratory's 25-kW-peak Solar Photovoltaic Power System located at Mead, Nebraska. The controller allows the site to operate without human intervention, and has brought to light some of the problems of charge-control algorithms in a deep-discharge environment.},
doi = {10.2172/6357516},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 1979},
month = {Wed Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 1979}
}
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Technical Report:
View Technical Report (1.12 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/6357516
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  • In 1977 MIT/Lincoln Laboratory designed, constructed, and put into operation a 25-kW-peak solar photovoltaic power system in Mead, Nebraska. This system was to be used to provide power to an agricultural test facility operated by the University of Nebraska. The initial application of the PV system was to provide power to irrigate an 80-acre cornfield. The photovoltaic power system is described as it existed at the time of its inauguration, and as it will exist following the completion of presently planned modifications, which include more fully automated control and addition of an uninterruptible power supply.

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    Under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy, Office of Utility Technologies, the Battery Analysis and Evaluation Department and the Photovoltaic System Assistance Center of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) initiated a U.S. industry-wide PV Energy Storage System Survey. Arizona State University (ASU) was contracted by SNL in June 1995 to conduct the survey. The survey included three separate segments tailored to: (a) PV system integrators, (b) battery manufacturers, and (c) PV charge controller manufacturers. The overall purpose of the survey was to: (a) quantify the market for batteries shipped with (or for) PV systems in 1995, (b) quantify the PVmore » market segments by battery type and application for PV batteries, (c) characterize and quantify the charge controllers used in PV systems, (d) characterize the operating environment for energy storage components in PV systems, and (e) estimate the PV battery market for the year 2000. All three segments of the survey were mailed in January 1996. This report discusses the purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions of the survey.« less

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    Sandia National Laboratories, sponsored by the US Department of Energy`s Office of Energy Management, conducts the photovoltaic balance-of-system program. Under this program, Sandia supports the Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research Development Plan, SERDP, which is advancing the use of photovoltaics in operational DoD facilities. This report details the acceptance testing of the first of these photovoltaic hybrid systems: the Superior Valley photovoltaic-diesel hybrid system. This is the first of several photovoltaic installations for the Department of Defense. The system hardware tested at Sandia included an inverter, maximum power trackers, and a system controller.

  • A controller has been designed to meet the initial requirements of an off-peak, utility-interactive solar photovoltaic power system now undergoing tests at MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Photovoltaic System Test Facility in Concord, Massachusetts. A physical description of the controller, an explanation of the control algorithm, a circuit description and the theory of operation are presented.

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    Since the 25-kW solar photovoltaic agricultural field test system at the University of Nebraska is a unique electrical power system, special safety rules and regulations are needed to govern its operation. Field inspection and maintenance operations require the handling of electrically active elements during daylight hours. The methods and techniques necessary to perform these operations in a safe manner and to make field personnel more safety conscious as well are enumerated.