Design Considerations of a Utility Interactive Fuel Cell Inverter

Abstract

The concept of deregulated energy infrastructure is rapidly shaping the future of power generation and grid constitution. Control, communication and integration of various alternative energy resources within a Distributed Generation (DG) network have opened up areas of new challenges and opportunities. The power interface between a fuel cell system and the distribution grid is one such intriguing issue. With the advent of various grid-interactivity, safety, efficiency and power quality standards (such as, IEEE 1547), the design of a cost effective-high performance power electronic inverter for a fuel cell system is a challenge. In this paper, various design criteria, topologies and control aspects of a grid-tied fuel cell inverter are discussed. An overview of some fundamental design standards, and a systematic approach for topology selection is given. An outline of a possible DSP based hardware configuration, communication and control is also provided. Initial simulation of the proposed scheme along with considerations for practical implementations of fuel cell inverter are discussed.