Techno-Economic Analysis of Solid-State Circuit Breakers in DC Power System Applications: Design, Cost, and Performance Analyses

Direct current (DC) power systems have been advancing renewable energies to cope with the worldwide effort in minimizing carbon footprints. However, dc systems face technical limitations that require protection from dc circuit breakers. This article deals with the techno-economic analysis of dc solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs) by involving design, cost, and performance parameters. To clarify the current situation and identify future needs, dc SSCBs are analyzed from three aspects. First, the deciding factors and performance criteria are illustrated. Second, the driving factors, technical challenges, and applications of dc SSCBs are discussed. Finally, the techno-economic analysis of practical SSCBs is elaborated. The presented concepts are evaluated by a 4 kV/100 A dc SSCB prototype as a case study, where the cost distribution among components is discussed. The results show that practicing marketing and economic perspectives in designing dc SSCBs can help to pave the way for advancing dc power system protection and facilitating fully penetrated dc transmission and distribution networks.