The Role of Power Electronics in Renewable Energy Systems Research and Development

Power electronics (PE) is an application oriented and interdisciplinary area. It uses power semiconductor devices to perform switching action in order to achieve a desired conversion strategy. The PE plays crucial role of conversion and control electrical power. Therefore, PE based power converters are also widely used in renewable energy systems. This papers deals only with the wind and solar-PV systems as they are the most promising renewable energy sources for generation of electricity. Therefore, sustainable growth of wind and solar-PV powered electricity generation is expected in the years to come. The aim of this paper is to illustrate and highlight the role of PE in the research and development of renewable energy systems. To illustrate and highlight the role of PE in research and development of renewable energy systems using wind and Solar-PV, two cases of each type are presented in this paper.