Leite, V.Ferreira, Ângela P.Couto, JoséBatista, José2018-04-122018-04-122016Leite, V.; Ferreira, Ângela P.; Couto, José; Batista, José (2016). Abordagens para a Grid-connection approaches for pico-hydro systems. In II Congresso Ibero-Americano de Empreendedorismo, Energia, Meio Ambiente e Tecnologia - CIEEMAT 2016. Angra dos Reis, RJ, Brasilhttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/17004Small hydropower systems are considered an environmentally friendly energy option. They have a huge untapped potential which allow it to make a more significant contribution to future energy demand with many advantages. Grid-connected pico-hydro systems are an emerging solution for application in a huge number of applications such as in household water supply, wastewater treatment facilities and to improve control systems and optimize generation as a part of integrated water management systems. They are also very promising for integration in microgrids in many developing countries. This paper presents and discusses the main three grid-connection approaches for pico-hydro systems: using specifically designed power converters; using standard wind inverters; and using standard photovoltaic inverters. These latest approaches based on conventional inverters are practical solutions able to explore a large amount of feasible sites with low-head and very low-head. Moreover, photovoltaic micro inverters, recently launched in the market, are propose for very low power generators (250-300 W). These approaches improve efficiencies, reduce costs and environmental impacts and improve reliability. Experimental evaluation of the performance in steady-state and in dynamic conditions proves the feasibility of these innovative approaches.engElectrical engineeringElectronics and photonicsconference object