A power inverter, inverter, or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opposite of rectifiers which were originally large electromechanical devices converting AC to DC.
A DC-to-DC converter is an electronic circuit or electromechanical device that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another. It is a type of electric power converter. Power levels range from very low to very high.
A solar inverter or photovoltaic (PV) inverter is a type of power inverter which converts the variable direct current (DC) output of a photovoltaic solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. It is a critical balance of system (BOS)–component in a photovoltaic system, allowing the use of ordinary AC-powered equipment. Solar power inverters have special functions adapted for use with photovoltaic arrays, including maximum power point tracking and anti-islanding protection.
Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power.
A variable-frequency drive is a type of AC motor drive that controls speed and torque by varying the frequency of the input electricity. Depending on its topology, it controls the associated voltage or current variation.
A charge pump is a kind of DC-to-DC converter that uses capacitors for energetic charge storage to raise or lower voltage. Charge-pump circuits are capable of high efficiencies, sometimes as high as 90–95%, while being electrically simple circuits.
A microgrid is a local electrical grid with defined electrical boundaries, acting as a single and controllable entity. It is able to operate in grid-connected and in island mode. A 'stand-alone microgrid' or 'isolated microgrid' only operates off-the-grid and cannot be connected to a wider electric power system.
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT), or sometimes just power point tracking (PPT), is a technique used with variable power sources to maximize energy extraction as conditions vary. The technique is most commonly used with photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, but can also be used with wind turbines, optical power transmission and thermophotovoltaics.
Doubly fed electric machines, also slip-ring generators, are electric motors or electric generators, where both the field magnet windings and armature windings are separately connected to equipment outside the machine.
A static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), is a shunt-connected, reactive compensation device used on transmission networks. It uses power electronics to form a voltage-source converter that can act as either a source or sink of reactive AC power to an electricity network. It is a member of the FACTS family of devices.
A line filter is an electronic filter that is placed between the mains electricity input and internal circuitry of electronic equipment to attenuate conducted radio frequencies radio frequency interference (RFI), also known as electromagnetic interference (EMI). Often it is either integrated into the power entry module or as a separate module.
In utility and industrial electric power transmission and distribution systems, a numerical relay is a computer-based system with software-based protection algorithms for the detection of electrical faults. Such relays are also termed as microprocessor type protective relays. They are functional replacements for electro-mechanical protective relays and may include many protection functions in one unit, as well as providing metering, communication, and self-test functions.
A Z-source inverter is a type of power inverter, a circuit that converts direct current to alternating current. The circuit functions as a buck-boost inverter without making use of DC-DC converter bridge due to its topology.
Synchronverters or virtual synchronous generators are inverters which mimic synchronous generators (SG) to provide "synthetic inertia" for ancillary services in electric power systems. Inertia is a property of standard synchronous generators associated with the rotating physical mass of the system spinning at a frequency proportional to the electricity being generated. Inertia has implications towards grid stability as work is required to alter the kinetic energy of the spinning physical mass and therefore opposes changes in grid frequency. Inverter-based generation inherently lacks this property as the waveform is being created artificially via power electronics.
Soumitro Banerjee is an Indian electrical engineer and director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata. He is known for his studies on bifurcation phenomena in power electronic circuits and is an elected fellow of all three major Indian science academies: the National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Academy of Sciences, and Indian National Science Academy. He is also a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, West Bengal Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 2003.
NL5 is a mixed-signal electronic circuit simulator with ideal and piecewise-linear components.
A multi-level converter (MLC) is a method of generating high-voltage wave-forms from lower-voltage components. MLC origins go back over a hundred years, when in the 1880s, the advantages of DC long-distance transmission became evident.
Switching Control Techniques address electromagnetic interference (EMI) mitigation on power electronics (PE). The design of power electronics involves overcoming three key challenges:
- power losses
- EMI
- harmonics
ETUT is a research project funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program under the Marie Sktodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Networks scheme. The project, undertaken by a collaborative effort of the University of Twente, the University of Nottingham, and Dnipro National University of Railway Transport, aims to develop efficient interfacing technology for more-electric transport amidst the ever-increasing demand in transportation systems which contribute to increased carbon dioxide emissions. The project has employed 12 Early Stage Researches who will work closely with six industrial partners to improve upon the existing electrical and energy storage systems that will help in alleviating the reliance on non-renewable energy sources for large-scale transportation systems such as railways and maritime transport. The project is segregated into two main groups with one focusing on power electronics for efficient use of energy resources in power delivery, and the other on electromagnetic compatibility of such systems.
