Bo-Hong Li

Photovoltaic (PV) systems have experienced rapid global deployment. However, line-to-line short-circuit faults pose serious safety risks and can lead to significant power losses or fire hazards. While existing fault detection methods can identify fault types, they cannot precisely locate fault positions, resulting in time-consuming and costly maintenance. This paper proposes a heuristic algorithm for accurately locating such faults in PV arrays based on module group voltage measurements. The algorithm employs a two-phase approach: fault candidate marking and fault location determination, capable of handling both intra-string and cross-string faults. Simulation tests on a 21 × 2 PV array configuration demonstrate a 97.56% fault location success rate, reducing the troubleshooting scope to within a single-module group. The proposed method offers a simple, fast, and cost-effective solution for PV system maintenance, potentially saving significant labor costs and reducing system downtime.

Under net-zero objectives, the development of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure on a densely populated island can be achieved by repurposing existing facilities, such as rooftops of wholesale stores and parking areas, into charging stations to accelerate transport electrification. For facility owners, this transformation could enable the showcasing of carbon reduction efforts through the self-use of renewable energy while simultaneously gaining charging revenue. In this paper, we propose a dynamic energy management system (EMS) for a solar-and-energy storage-integrated charging station, taking into consideration EV charging demand, solar power generation, status of energy storage system (ESS), contract capacity, and the electricity price of EV charging in real-time to optimize economic efficiency, based on a real-world situation in Taiwan. This study confirms the benefits of ESS in contracted capacity management, peak shaving, valley filling, and price arbitrage. The result shows that the incorporation of dynamic EMS with solar-and-energy storage-integrated charging stations effectively reduces electricity costs and the required electricity contract capacity. Moreover, it leads to an augmentation in the overall operational profitability of the charging station. This increase contains not only the revenue generated from electricity sales at the charging station but also the additional income from surplus solar energy sales. From a comprehensive cost–benefit perspective, introducing this solar-and-energy storage-integrated EMS can increase facility owners’ net income by 1.25 times compared to merely installing charging infrastructure.