An approach for an efficient hybrid AC/DC solar powered Homegrid system based on the load characteristics of home appliances

In this paper, a new and efficient hybrid AC/DC solar powered Homegrid model is proposed based on the load characteristics of a typical set of home appliances working on a 220 V, 50 Hz system. The load characteristics of home appliances are represented by a static ZIP (constant impedance (Z), constant current (I) and constant power (P)) coefficient model, a useful load model in power flow studies. A Homegrid system is formed by analysing the distortion produced by modern household equipment, and a K-factor with a significant role in the overheating of residential/distribution transformers is determined. Further, the ZIP load model is validated by a simulation and the results are compared with experimental data. To improve the efficiency and quality of the traditional Homegrid system, a solar powered hybrid AC/DC supply network model is proposed. This system eliminates redundant power conversion stages and mitigates the loss due to the harmonics by a shift of harmonic intensive loads to the Direct Current (DC) network side. Its effectiveness has been investigated with a simulation in MATLAB as well as with hardware implementation. This proposed energy efficient Homegrid model could be quite helpful in fulfilling the idea of net zero or surplus energy buildings.