Pasi Salonen

Implementing a laboratory development platform for an LVDC distribution system

Low-Voltage Direct Current (LVDC) distribution network is a novel approach to the LV distribution. The system greatly differs from the AC solutions used today and therefore, a laboratory platform of the LVDC distribution system has to be implemented. The system is designed to provide testing and measuring platform for the LVDC distribution technology. This paper presents the implementation of the platform. The paper discusses the structure of the platform and presents some results of the studies in which the platform is involved. Also, the flaws of the system and their influence to the measurements and operation are discussed. Also, a real-network platform implementation is in progress and the future developments of the laboratory platform are covered in the end of the paper.

Output filtering of the customer-end inverter in a low-voltage DC distribution network

Passive filter topologies used at the output of the customer-end inverter in a low-voltage DC-distribution (LVDC) network are compared. The comparison of filter topologies is based on the requirements set for the voltage quality and issues such as the physical size of the filter, losses, the complexity of the needed control and the cost. It is concluded that most of the losses of LVDC system are coming from the customer-end filters. Therefore, to make the LVDC network as efficient as or even more efficient than the current three phase low voltage distribution network, filter topologies and their properties are evaluated. Because filters are used in distribution system, the cost and the losses have the governing roles. The study reveals the most suitable filter topology to be used in a LVDC distribution network, when using the specific properties presented.