More people are now opting for sustainable lifestyle amidst rising concern for environment. Sustainable environment needs a change in way of life with eco-friendly, sustainable solutions for our day-to-day consumption.
Led by Professor Dmitri Vinnikov, TalTech Power Electronics Research Group has been working to enhance the efficiency of units of alternative energy generation for over a decade.
Optiverter to Bring Down the Cost for Consumers
Professor Vinnikov said that in the initial days alternative energy deployment, it was extremely expensive for an ordinary customer. But, owing to the recent developments it has become much more affordable for the residential end-users.
The research group is focussing on solar photovoltaic energy production. Any photovoltaic system is capable of supplying electricity without any hassle but that is possible under ideal conditions. Unfortunately, such ideal conditions for photovoltaic modules do not exist at our latitude. Apart from Nordic areas, deposition of dirt in the form of soil, snow and leaves on photovoltaic modules affect the performance. Furthermore, lower sun angle effect generates long shadows.
Professor Vinnikov elaborates the need of a grid converter to convert renewable energy into electricity for residential consumption. Further, researchers are using a power optimizer to harness optimum energy.
Optiverter is the hybrid technology that has been developed by Tallinn University of Technology. Also, It is a combination of key advantages of grid converters and power optimizers. Optiverter is a power semiconductor converter technology in the power module of medium and small-sized photovoltaic installations. Further, researchers have predicted Optiverters to be sustainable and environment friendly in the long term.