About

Brief Description of the Project

Nowadays, the actual power grids are changing toward the emergent smart grids. Thus, facing to the traditional panorama of power grids, each more is predictable the controlled and dynamic integration of electric mobility systems, renewables, and power systems with capability to improve the grid power quality. Although the actual reality of electric mobility, their dissemination has been constrained by some technical restrictions, with emphasis on the embryonic available charging network. However, the electric mobility proliferation, mainly through the electric vehicle, will allow new opportunities and challenges, namely, its integration into the power grid as controlled and dynamic load, contributing to the power grid stability through the possibility to consume, store and deliver energy. In addition, in contrast to many of the battery charging systems available today, it will be imperative that such systems operate with high power quality ratings. Nowadays, the introduction of renewables is also a reality for small-scale applications, where concerns about power quality problems at the power grid and at the private level are a reality to be mitigated. Therefore, with the nature evolution of smart grids and with the predictable increase of electric mobility solutions and renewables, as well as active filtering solutions to mitigate power quality problems, and taking into account the similarities between the converters of these systems, it was identified an opportunity to the project of a new generation of unified power conditioner with advanced control toward the future smart grids, allowing to improve efficiency, reduce cost, weight and volume. The main goal of this project consists in the development and experimental validation of a new unified power conditioner that encompasses the following functionalities: fast charge the batteries of an electric vehicle; interface with a renewable energy source (photovoltaic panels); active filtering to mitigate power quality problems in the electrical installation where the equipment will be installed. In this sense, with the proposed work of investigation and development for this project, it is expected to obtain innovative contributions to increase the global energy efficiency, resulting in benefits to the final user of electrical energy. The project newERA4GRIDs will allow to position scientific knowledge in Portugal, combining the areas of electric mobility, renewable and power quality, presenting innovative solutions at the highest international reference level and with great potential for innovation and development, since there are not solutions with the features as proposed in this project.