Gobind Pillai

Development of a master programme in electrical power and energy systems at Teesside University

This paper describes the development of a Master Programme in Electrical Power and Energy Systems at Teesside University. A brief review of learning theories and their application to the designs of the programme and its core modules is presented. The considerations of student diversity, learners needs, regulatory and licensing body guidelines and requirement, and the use of technology in assessment for and of learning in the programme design is discussed briefly. Constructive alignment of module learning outcomes to learning activities and assessment is provided for one core module and use of technology to aid learning and provide feedback is demonstrated.

The techno-economic feasibility of providing solar photovoltaic backup power

The availability of energy is a key factor affecting sustainable development. Consumers losing electricity supply due to constraints on electrical power utilities is very common in developing countries. In this paper, the technical and economic feasibility of using solar photovoltaics (PV) as a grid independent backup power source (which can match the existing consumer load profiles) is investigated. A system design methodology that takes into account the seasonal variation in load profiles is developed based on load analysis, PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographic Information System) pre-sizing and PVsyst system performance simulations. This paper presents a case study that involves system design based on residential loads and weather conditions of a specific area. The technical and economic performances of a backup system, a grid-connected system, and a standalone system with scheduled load are compared. Impact of shading, a common uncertainty which affects the technical performance of PV systems, on the backup system is also investigated. Results demonstrate the trade-offs in providing solar PV backup power for load matching.

Performance assessment of grid-connected photovoltaic inverters based on field monitoring in India

Most grid-connected photovoltaic inverters in the Indian market are designed based on European standards and have not been tested in the Indian climate. In this paper, the performances of eight photovoltaic inverters from three different manufacturers connected to a 40 kW grid-connected solar plant are assessed. Four photovoltaic topologies namely mono-crystalline, poly-crystalline, copper indium gallium diselenide and amorphous silicon, each installed on both fixed and tracking structures, were considered. DC to AC conversion efficiency, Maximum Power Point Tracking efficiency and harmonic emission were chosen as the criteria for performance evaluation. Results showed that although the inverters analysed met the Indian standards in terms of harmonic emission, they underperformed in comparison to the rated efficiency at the experimental location indicating the impact of the Indian climatic conditions.

Cuckoo search algorithm for integration wind power generation to meet load demand growth

This article presents a new efficient method for optimal placement and sizing of wind power generators (WPG) in power networks with an objective of coping maximum loadability margin and minimizing reactive power loss. A new total voltage stability based on continuation power flow (CPF) theorem is used to model the problem. The method also highlights the effects of random characteristics of wind resources on loadability margin. Cuckoo search algorithm is applied to find the optimum placement and sizing of WPG since it presents several advantages of few control parameters, high solution quality and fast computational time. The experiment results of IEEE 9-bus show that the optimum location and size of WPGs are different from those considering power system loss and voltage deviation in objective function of the optimization process. A significant effect of the random characteristic of wind resource during load demand growth is revealed. The simulation results show that the CSA can be an efficient and promising method for optimal placement and sizing of WPG in power networks problem.