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Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021

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A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 18161

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Leonowicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
2. Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 708-00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Interests: signal analysis; advanced signal processing methods; renewable energy; ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Sikorski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering Fundamentals, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: signal processing; spectral estimation methods; time-frequency analysis; power quality; power quality monitoring systems; distributed generation; power quality connection criteria; signals and systems theory
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Michał Jasińśki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: distributed generation; renewable energy sources; storage systems; power quality; power reliability; virtual power plants; data mining; machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The following Special Issue is an international forum for the exchange of ideas and recent research on energy systems. It aims to discuss a wide variety of topics related to energy systems and environmental issues. The ever-increasing awareness of environmental concerns and the intensive international efforts to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases drive the need to offer the best contributions towards achieving the goals of renewable energy diversification and sustainable development. This Special Issue concerns extended research presented during the 21^st International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering as well as the 5^th Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe. Please note that the submission of articles in the mentioned area that were not presented during the conferences is also welcome.

The main objective of this Special Issue is to report recent research on:

Renewable energy sources and storage:

Solar energy;
Photovoltaic cell technology;
Hydro and wind energy;
Biomass and biofuels;
Energy management and storage;
High-performance cogeneration;

Power systems and smart grids:

Microgrids modeling, simulation, and data management;
Design, control, and management;
Protection;
Transmission grids;
RAM (reliability, availability, maintainability);
ICT for power systems;
Power line communications;
Power quality;

Energy-efficient systems:

Fuel cells;
Distributed generation within microgrids;
Demand side management, load forecasting;
Energy efficiency, conservation, and savings;
Smart metering systems;
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems;
User aggregation and virtual power plants;

Smart buildings:

Smart homes, cities, communities;
Innovative distribution systems;
Home and building automation;
Nearly zero-energy buildings;
Information, security and privacy;
Lighting systems and components;

Circuits, sensors, and actuators:

Circuits and systems theory and application;
EMC applications;
Nonlinear systems;
Signal processing and identification;
Sensors and actuators;
Smart circuits;
Systems modelling;

Materials:

Nanotechnology for renewable energy;
Novel materials for energy harvesting;

Environmental phenomena and pollution:

EM spectrum management;
Power quality and harmonics;

Power electronics and components:

Electrical generators;
Converters for microgrids;
Converters for renewable energies;
Converters for storage;
Low-frequency EMC;

Regulation and electricity markets:

Utility deregulation;
Regulatory issues and delivery standards;
Dispatching in power systems;
Generation and transmission expansion;
Distributed generation and distribution systems;

Mobility:

Sustainable transport systems;
Electrical vehicles;
Automotive;

Maintenance, operation, and safety:

Designing for safety;
Grounding;
Lightning;
Hazard—Electric shock, arc flash, fire, and explosion;
Maintenance and operation of power systems;
Online real-time equipment diagnostics;
Work practices and procedures;
Electrical safety training;

Measurements:

Environmental and electrical measurements;
Advanced instrumentation and data acquisition systems;
Intelligent distributed systems;
Signal and image processing.

Technical Program Committee Members:

Prof. Dr. Rodolfo Araneo University of Rome
Prof. Dr. Luigi Martirano University of Rome
Dr. Vadim Bolshev Federal Scientific Agroengineering Center VIM

Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Leonowicz
Prof. Dr. Tomasz Sikorski
Dr. Michał Jasińśki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

renewable energy sources and storage
power systems and smart grids
energy-efficient systems
smart buildings
circuits, sensors, and actuators
materials
environmental phenomena and pollution
power electronics and components
regulation and electricity markets
mobility
maintenance, operation, and safety
measurements

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3717 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grid Synchronization Enhancement of Distributed Generators Using an Adaptive Phase-Locked Loop Tuning System

by Ahmed M. Elkholy, Ibrahim B. M. Taha, Salah Kamel and Mohamed K. El-Nemr

Electronics 2022, 11(5), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11050702 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1605

Abstract

This paper proposes an effective algorithm; this algorithm is updating the phase-locked loop (PLL) gains according to the value of the short circuit ratio that will decrease the weak grid effect in the PLL controllers to reduce problems related to renewable energy sources and connect to the point of common coupling (PCC). Based on system parameters estimation, the proposed algorithm enhances the system stability for the distribution networks. The standard IEEE 33-bus test system is used to investigate the proposed algorithm’s effectiveness and superiority. An extensive mathematical effort is exerted to get the system’s small-signal stability (SSS) model. The tuning of the phase-locked loop and the current control loop are choosing to dynamically change according to the system variables to ensure the same system stability margin, whatever the change in the loading conditions. The MATLAB/Simulink model is used to validate the algorithm and simulate the test system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021)

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23 pages, 7529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stability Analysis of Chaotic Grey-Wolf Optimized Grid-Tied PV-Hybrid Storage System during Dynamic Conditions

by Mukul Chankaya, Ikhlaq Hussain, Aijaz Ahmad, Hasmat Malik and Majed A. Alotaibi

Electronics 2022, 11(4), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11040567 - 13 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1404

Abstract

This paper presents the stability improvement of the three-phase four-wire (3P-4W) grid-tied PV-hybrid energy storage system (HESS) using chaotic grew wolf optimization (CGWO) for DC bus voltage

(V_{d c})

and AC bus voltage

(V_{p c c})

control. [...] Read more.

This paper presents the stability improvement of the three-phase four-wire (3P-4W) grid-tied PV-hybrid energy storage system (HESS) using chaotic grew wolf optimization (CGWO) for DC bus voltage

(V_{d c})

and AC bus voltage

(V_{p c c})

control. The CGWO tuned fractional order proportional–integral (FOPI) controllers reduce the

V_{d c}

and

V_{p c c}

variations during diverse, dynamic conditions, i.e., sudden irradiation variations, deep voltage sag/swell, etc. The DC bus is responsible for the current injection/extraction control, maximum PV power extraction, bi-directional power flow, dc second-harmonics component elimination, and active power balance. At the point of common coupling (PCC), the AC bus is accountable for bi-directional power flow and active and reactive power control. The two-level voltage source converter (VSC) is controlled by a novel variable step-size incremental least mean square (VSS-ILMS) in zero voltage regulation (ZVR) mode. Due to its varying step size, VSC control is less prone to noise signals offers better stability, improved convergence rate, dc offset rejection, and tracking speed during dynamics, i.e., large oscillations. A battery and ultracapacitor are coupled to the DC link by buck-boost converters in the HESS. To regulate power transit between the DC bus and the grid, the HESS current control technique is designed to shift frequently from charging to discharging stage and vice versa. The novelty of the PV-HESS system lies in CGWO tuned VSS-ILMS control of VSC, which effectively and efficiently filter out the active fundamental constituents of load current and eliminate dc offset from VSC output. The HESS control maintains the DC bus voltage profile by absorbing and delivering energy (during dynamic conditions) rather than curtailing it. The presented system is simulated in a MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The simulation results in graphical and numerical forms verify the stable and satisfactory operation of the proposed system as per IEEE519 standard. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021)

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18 pages, 20877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Robust Multilevel Inverter Topology for Operation under Fault Conditions

by Mohd Asif, Mohd Tariq, Adil Sarwar, Md Reyaz Hussan, Shafiq Ahmad, Lucian Mihet-Popa and Adamali Shah Noor Mohamed

Electronics 2021, 10(24), 3099; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10243099 - 13 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2581

Abstract

Multilevel inverters (MLIs) are used on a large scale because they have low total harmonic distortion (THD) and low voltage stress across the switches, making them ideal for medium- and high-power applications. The authenticity of semiconductor devices is one of the main concerns for these MLIs to operate properly. Due to the large number of switches in multilevel inverters, the possibility of a fault also arises. Hence, a reliable five-level inverter topology with fault-tolerant ability has been proposed. The proposed topology can withstand an open-circuit (OC) fault caused when any single switch fails. In comparison to typical multilevel inverters, the proposed topology is fault-tolerant and reliable. The simulation of the proposed topology is conducted in MATLAB-Simulink and PLECS software packages, and the results obtained for normal pre-fault, during-fault, and after-fault conditions are discussed. Experimental results also prove the proposed cell topology’s robustness and effectiveness in tolerating OC faults across the switches. Furthermore, a thorough comparison is provided to demonstrate the proposed topology’s superiority compared to recently published topologies with fault-tolerant features. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021)

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16 pages, 1841 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Protection Coordination Scheme for Active Distribution Networks

by Muhammad Fawad Shaikh, Sunny Katyara, Zahid Hussain Khand, Madad Ali Shah, Lukasz Staszewski, Veer Bhan, Abdul Majeed, Shoaib Shaikh and Leonowicz Zbigniew

Electronics 2021, 10(18), 2312; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10182312 - 20 Sep 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2279

Abstract

Distribution networks are inherently radial and passive owing to the ease of operation and unidirectional power flow. Proper installation of Distributed Generators, on the one hand, makes the utility network active and mitigates certain power quality issues e.g., voltage dips, frequency deviations, losses, etc., but on the other hand, it disturbs the optimal coordination among existing protection devices e.g., over-current relays. In order to maintain the desired selectivity level, such that the primary and backup relays are synchronized against different contingencies, it necessitates design of intelligent and promising protection schemes to distinguish between the upstream and downstream power flows. This research proposes exploiting phase angle jump, an overlooked voltage sag parameter, to add directional element to digital over-current relays with inverse time characteristics. The decision on the direction of current is made on the basis of polarity of phase angle jump together with the impedance angle of the system. The proposed scheme at first is evaluated on a test system in a simulated environment under symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults and, secondly, as a proof of the concept, it is verified in real-time on a laboratory setup using a Power Hardware-in-loop (PHIL) system. Moreover, a comparative analysis is made with other state-of-the-art techniques to evaluate the performance and robustness of the proposed approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021)

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20 pages, 3454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Minimization of Torque Ripple in the Brushless DC Motor Using Constrained Cuckoo Search Algorithm

by Łukasz Knypiński, Sebastian Kuroczycki and Fausto Pedro García Márquez

Electronics 2021, 10(18), 2299; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10182299 - 18 Sep 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2417

Abstract

This paper presents the application of the cuckoo search (CS) algorithm in attempts to the minimization of the commutation torque ripple in the brushless DC motor (BLDC). The optimization algorithm was created based on the cuckoo’s reproductive behavior. The lumped-parameters mathematical model of the BLDC motor was developed. The values of self-inductances, mutual inductances, and back-electromotive force waveforms applied in the mathematical model were calculated by the use of the finite element method. The optimization algorithm was developed in Python 3.8. The CS algorithm was coupled with the static penalty function. During the optimization process, the shape of the voltage supplying the stator windings was determined to minimize the commutation torque ripple. Selected results of computer simulation are presented and discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021)

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Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 1250 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Step-Down DC–DC Converters: An Overview and Outlook

by Dulika Nayanasiri and Yunwei Li

Electronics 2022, 11(11), 1693; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11111693 - 26 May 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5324

Abstract

Voltage step-down converters have gained attention, with the rapid development in industrial robotics, Internet of things, and embedded system applications. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis has been performed, to identify the topologies and architectures used in step-down converters. Moreover, their operation and performance have been compared. Such an analysis is helpful, in improving performance of the existing systems, besides designing novel converter topologies. Furthermore, the converter-topology-derivation methods have been studied, to identify their applicability for synthesising novel non-isolated DC–DC converters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment and Electrical Engineering-Edition 2021)

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