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and biomass with storage and backup should become economically
competitive. And thus my systems' engineering department at
the Hessian Institute ISET found its way into Wolfgang Palz's
renewable energy research and technology development (RTD)
programmes. We initiated and coordinated the modular, expandable,
and generally adaptable (MEGA)
systems technology develop-
ment. The first project was implemented together with Peter
Helm from WIP, Munich, Platon Baltas from CRES, Athens and
Manuel Cendagorta from ITER, Tenerife.
The MEGA-Hybrid core technology established grid-compatible
single AC-bus and single communication-bus coupling of all
components, enabled through state-of-the-art micro- and power
electronics. We proposed and with the PhD collaborator Alfred
Engler developed the first self-synchronising microprocessor
control for power-electronics inverters, also starting to use field-
buses which soon became ethernet-based and network-compatible.
Components of diferent structures and sizes thus became
integrateable in all diferent system contexts. MEGA Hybrid's
AC-modular technology paved the way for a tree of subsequent
European RTD and demonstration projects and their national
counterparts, often of much larger size.
Starting from wind and PV for island grids, within a decade it
became the standard in Europe, also leading to today's AC-coupled
parallel PV grid-power conditioning. Consequently, we developed
the power-electronics prototype for the Kassel based large-scale
production of string-inverters for photovoltaics. Naturally matching
the modular nature of the generators, they turned out to be the
key success factor for large-scale integration of PV in the built
environment. Electrical planning and safe and secure installation
could now be given into the hands of local craftsmen, no more
requiring special engineering.
Under the guidance of Wolfgang Palz, the European Renewable
Energy RTD activities were rapidly growing and, delegated by our
Minister, I came to Brussels to support him in the 5th Framework
Programme. Integration of renewable energies and thus systems
technology became more and more important, as wind- and water-
power but also bioenergy and photovoltaics were rapidly becoming
competitive. Within the European projects, Kassel's systems
engineering was further managed by Philip Strauss who had
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