A Hybrid PV-Battery Unit Optimised for LV Grids Using GaN Transistors

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
Navarino Electric Systems Limited

Feasibility Studies

Innovate UK

01 October 2016

31 January 2018

16 months

£93,628

South East

Competition Call: 1411_FS_ENE_GEN_ENCATES2 - Energy Catalyst Rnd 2 - (FS). Activity Energy Catalyst Rnd 2 - Early Stage

Project Contact, Navarino Electric Systems Limited

Project Contact, IQE (Europe) Limited

Project Contact, Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Project Contact, Sch of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston University

Under their Gone Green deployment scenario, National Grid forecast that energy generated from photovoltaics (PV) in the UK is expected to rise from 2 to 15 GW over the next 20 years. This is being driven by the UK’s legal obligations around installing renewable energy sources & cutting greenhouse gases, the rising cost of energy & concerns around the security of supply the so-called energy trilemma . Power electronic converters are a key enabling technology for PV and other low-carbon technologies (LCTs). However the use of LCTs has resulted in problems for the electrical distribution nerwork such as supply voltage distortion and over- voltages, which threaten to limit or delay their uptake. This project aims to mitigate this threat by exploiting the benefits of a new Gallium Nitride power transistor module, which will be developed for use in a hybrid PV- battery unit for residential applications, but will have much broader applications e.g. electric vehicle charging & micro-CHP. These units will be much smaller, lighter & have lower cost than existing Silicon based units and their deployment will lead to an increase in the maximum allowable installed capacity on the network.

02/09/19