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July 23, 2012

How Transverter Power Electronics are Solving One of the World's Biggest Problems

Warren Stokes
Director of Marketing and Sales, Heart Transverter

Power Channels: Batteries and Portable Power, Renewable Energy, Smart Grid Power

I can remember the heady days in the 80s and 90s when solar electric power was being pioneered. Many people, including me, then thought that photovoltaic (PV) technology had the potential to replace fossil fuels and nuclear power. There were however, three huge barriers to widespread adoption. Not the least of those barriers was the high cost of PV. Another significant barrier was the technology for grid connection and a third barrier was the viability of energy storage technologies.

Now fast forward to the present... There has been enormous growth in the PV industry worldwide. Entire countries such as Japan and Germany are shutting down all their nuclear reactors. This has coincided with steadily decreasing prices and improvements in technology. Prior to 2000 most PV systems were small off grid installations. Around this time grid tie inverters started to become commercially viable and were utilized on a broader and broader scale. In fact, until recently, almost all of the PV systems were grid-tie only systems. (More on this later when we examine the problems and challenges we now face…)

As far as reduced costs, many now believe we have already Grid Parity….that investing in a PV system is competitive to buying power from the utility company.

Figure 1. Energy Payback for Rooftop PV Systems

Assuming 30-year system life, PV systems will provide a net gain of 26 to 29 years of pollution-free and greenhouse-gas-free electrical generation.

By far the largest growth in PV has been in Europe. This is followed by the Asia-Pacific region, and the third leading region is North America, with Canada growing steadily alongside the USA. Now bear in mind that the growth in PV has been largely driven by government provided incentives. While these incentives have had the desired effect, the growth in PV could be adversely affected if they are reduced or discontinued.

Figure 2. Global PV Capacity in Megawatts 2000-2011

By extrapolating this phenomenal growth, one might predict that PV (and other forms of renewable energy) will soon displace a large percentage of traditional energy sources such as fossil fuel, coal and nuclear power generation. And indeed it might…..but there is a huge looming problem... that must be addressed.

Renewable Energy sources such as PV and wind systems are unpredictable, and when they become significant (over 15% of grid capacity) it can causes the grid to become very unstable.

In fact, Stephan Kohler, chief executive of the German Energy Agency (DENA), told Berliner Zeitung news network that the “skyrocketing solar PV capacities might cause the grids to collapse.”

Already power outages cost the US $80 billion per year. And the very success of PV will potentially cause even more power outages. Even the complete collapse of the power grid!

Figure 3. Business Losses from Power Outages and Grid Problems

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We welcome the opportunity to publish your opinions. Please email us at editorial@darnell.com.

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