This course is an introduction to analysis, modeling, design, and testing of electrical energy processing systems, in a practical laboratory setting. Included are power electronics converters for efficient utilization of available energy sources, and energy sources including solar panels and the utility. The semester lab work involves design, fabrication, and testing of a solar power system.
The required prerequisite for ECEN 4517 is ECEN 4797 Introduction to Power Electronics, or equivalent. The required prerequisite for ECEN 5517 is ECEN 5797 Introduction to Power Electronics.
Things you will learn in this course include:
- A practical introduction to photovoltaic power systems
- Develop a knowledge of photovoltaic power system components:
- PV cells, PV panels, their characteristics, and their models
- Batteries, theory of operation and their behavior
- PV power conversion elements: inverters and dc-dc converters
- A practical introduction to power electronics, including:
- Power converter circuits
- Analog and digital control circuits
- Gate drive circuits
- Practical magnetics design
- System modeling and controller design
Experiments
- Basic PV system elements (1 week)
- Microcontroller system based on the TI MSP 430 (1 week)
- Peak power tracker and battery charge controller using a dc-dc buck converter (4 weeks)
- Inverter (4 weeks)
- Project (4 weeks)
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