⚡ Off-Grid Inverter with Static VAR Compensator (SVC) ⚙️🔋

🛠 Project Overview

This project involves the design and development of a single-phase off-grid inverter system integrated with a Static VAR Compensator (SVC). It focuses on real-time power factor correction, reactive power compensation, and voltage stability—key factors in enhancing power quality and energy efficiency in off-grid and hybrid renewable energy environments.

Final Year Design Project - Electrical & Electronic Engineering

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🧑‍💻 My Technical Contributions

✅ Static VAR Compensator (SVC) Design

• Implemented a real-time power factor correction system using capacitor bank switching.
• Integrated the compensation logic to work dynamically based on measured reactive power.

✅ Phase Angle Detection

• Designed and implemented a Zero-Crossing Detector (ZCD) circuit for phase angle measurement.
• Used square waveform outputs to calculate delay between current and voltage waveforms.

✅ Microcontroller Programming

• Programmed the ATmega328P to:
  • Calculate real power, power factor, phase angle, and reactive power
  • Measure RMS values of voltage and current using the EmonLib library
  • Display real-time data on a 20x4 I2C LCD

✅ Capacitor Bank Relay Control

• Developed a dynamic relay-based capacitor bank switching mechanism using a 4-channel relay module.
• Controlled relay switching based on calculated reactive power requirements.

✅ Real-Time Monitoring System

• Implemented real-time display of:
  • Voltage (RMS)
  • Current (RMS)
  • Phase Angle
  • Power Factor
  • Active Power

✅ Optimization Results

• Improved Power Factor from 0.7 to 0.98
• Reduced reactive power losses
• Enhanced energy efficiency and voltage stability

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🔌 Hardware Used

• ATmega328P Microcontroller
• 230V–12V Step-down Transformer
• 5A–5mA Current Transformer
• Zero-Crossing Detector Circuit
• Capacitor Bank (2.5μF, 5μF, 7.5μF, 10μF)
• 4-Channel Relay Module (MD0083)
• 20x4 I2C LCD Display
• Soldered PCB (Designed on EasyEDA)

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🧰 Software Tools

• Arduino IDE (Code Development & Upload)
• Proteus (Circuit Simulation)
• EasyEDA (PCB Design)
• EmonLib (Energy Monitoring Library)

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🧠 Microcontroller Operation of SVC

The figure below illustrates the signal flow and component interactions within the SVC system, coordinated by the ATmega328P microcontroller. It shows how voltage and current sensing, zero-crossing detection, and capacitor switching work together to monitor and correct power factor in real-time.

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📈 System Performance

Parameter	Before (Initial)	After (With SVC)
Power Factor	0.70	0.98
Reactive Loss	High	Minimized
Voltage Stability	Unstable	Stable

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