Optimum matching of ohmic loads to the photovoltaic array

Optimum matching of loads to the photovoltaic (PV) generator is most desirable for more accurate sizing, higher system performance and maximum utilization of the costly solar array generator. The quality of load matching depends on the PV array characteristics, the load characteristics, and the insolation profile. A matching factor is defined as the ratio of the load energy to the array maximum energy over a one day period. Optimum matching is achieved by determining the optimal array parameters with respect to the load parameters. Optimization is done using direct-search techniques. Results show that the theoretical optimum matching factor for an ohmic load is 94.34%. For an electrolytic load the matching factor could reach 99.83%. A maximum power tracker can be eliminated if optimum matching is achieved.     

Optimum matching of direct-coupled electromechanical loads to aphotovoltaic generator

The objective of the paper is to present a general mathematical formulation for matching electromechanical loads connected to a photovoltaic array. An optimization method is then used to solve the matching problem with the objective of maximizing the gross mechanical energy. The analysis is extended to obtain the sizing of the array and the battery in the direct-coupled system. Results show that optimum matching can be achieved by carefully selecting the PV array rated parameters with respect to the load parameters. The rated power of the array is twice that of the load. The field constant that maximizes the gross mechanical energy can be obtained given the parameters of the load and the array temperature. The separately excited motor offers higher matching performance compared to the series motor. The rotodynamic load offers better matching compared to the viscous friction load     

蓄电池和太阳电池方阵直接耦合的小型光伏系统中电压最佳匹配的仿真研究

利用匹配因子概念,以全晴天为例,对蓄电池和太阳电池方阵直接耦合的小型光伏系统二者之间电压的最佳匹配进行仿真计算,给出了获得电压匹配的实现方法。所得结果对确定太阳电池组件生产规格具有一定意义,精心处理会带来明显的经济效益。     

Optimal design parameters for a PV array coupled to a DC motor viaa DC-DC transformer

A study is presented of the optimal operating parameters of a system comprising a photovoltaic solar array and a DC electromechanical energy converter (motor) driving a mechanical load. The analysis and design procedure includes the addition of a variable DC-DC matching transformer placed between the array and the motor. It is responsible for adjusting the load curve seen by the array to coincide with its maximum power point. The model takes into consideration the effect of different temperature as well as isolation profiles along the year. The analysis procedure guides the design of DC motors as well as variable DC transformers especially suited to be operated in conjunction with PV arrays. The procedure determines optimal motor constants which lead to an improved overall design in terms of maximizing the total annual gross mechanical energy delivered to a load of a given torque-speed characteristic     

Optimal sizing of grid-connected photovoltaic energy system in Saudi Arabia

Resource optimization is a major factor in the assessment of the effectiveness of renewable energy systems. Various methods have been utilized by different researchers in planning and sizing the grid-connected PV systems. This paper analyzes the optimal photovoltaic (PV) array and inverter sizes for a grid-connected PV system. Unmet load, excess electricity, fraction of renewable electricity, net present cost (NPC) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions percentage are considered in order to obtain optimal sizing of the grid-connected PV system. An optimum result, with unmet load and excess electricity of 0%, for serving electricity in Makkah, Saudi Arabia is achieved with the PV inverter size ratio of R = 1 with minimized CO₂ emissions. However, inverter size can be downsized to 68% of the PV nominal power to reduce the inverter cost, and hence decrease the total NPC of the system.     

Evaluation of effective shading factor by fitting a clear-day pattern obtained from hourly maximum irradiance data

The authors have developed the sophisticated verification (SV) method, which can evaluate involving performance ratio, power conditioner efficiency, temperature factor, shading factor, load matching factor and other array parameter. So, we also have ensured adequacies of the evaluation of PV systems. However, the originally proposed method accepts PV installations facing the south only. In this paper, we have modified the SV method by taking into account the arbitrary orientation and inclination, because of improved the accuracy of evaluation. Therefore, the shading effect can be intelligible for each hour. The maximum value of shading losses reached 13.1%.     

Options for improving the load matching capability of distributed photovoltaics: Methodology and application to high-latitude data

At high latitudes, domestic electricity demand and insolation are negatively correlated on both an annual and a diurnal basis. With increasing integration of distributed photovoltaics (PV) in low-voltage distribution grids of residential areas, limits to the penetration level are set by voltage rise due to unmatched production and load. In this paper a methodology for determining the impacts of three options for increased load matching is presented and applied to high-latitude data. The studied options are PV array orientation, demand side management (DSM) and electricity storage. Detailed models for domestic electricity demand and PV output are used. An optimisation approach is applied to find an optimal distribution of PV systems on different array orientations and a best-case evaluation of DSM and a storage model are implemented. At high penetration levels, storage is the most efficient option for maximising the solar fraction, but at lower overproduction levels, the impact of DSM is equal or slightly better. An east-west orientation of PV arrays is suggested for high penetration levels, but the effect of the optimised orientation is small. Without an optimised storage operation, the overproduced power is more efficiently reduced by DSM than storage, although this is highly dependent on the applied DSM algorithm. Further research should be focused on the DSM potential and optimal operation of storage.     

Optimum photovoltaic array size for a hybrid wind/PV system

A methodology for calculation of the optimum size of a PV array for a stand-alone hybrid wind/PV power system is developed. Long term data of wind speed and irradiance recorded for every hour of the day for 30 years were used. These data were used to calculate the probability density functions of the wind speed and the irradiance for each hour of a typical day in a month. The wind speed and irradiance probability density functions and manufacturer's specification on a wind turbine and a PV module were used to calculate the average power generated by the wind turbine and the PV module for each hour of a typical day in a month. The least square method is used to determine the best fit of the PV array and wind turbine to a given load. On the basis of the energy concept an algorithm was developed to find the optimum size of the PV array in the system     

Matching of a DC motor to a photovoltaic generator using a step-upconverter with a current-locked loop

A photovoltaic (PV) generator is a nonlinear device having insolation-dependent volt-ampere characteristics. Because of its relatively high cost, the system designer is interested in optimum matching of the motor and its mechanical load to the PV generator so that maximum power is obtained during the entire operating period. However, since the maximum-power point varies with solar insolation, it is difficult to achieve an optimum matching that is valid for all insolation levels. In this paper it is shown that for maximum power, the generator current must be directly proportional to insolation. This remarkable property is utilized to achieve insolation-independent optimum matching. A shunt DC motor driving a centrifugal water pump is supplied from a PV generator via a step-up converter whose duty ratio is controlled using a current-locked feedback loop     

Predicting efficiency of solar powered hydrogen generation using photovoltaic-electrolysis devices

Hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles can be produced by using solar electric energy from photovoltaic (PV) modules for the electrolysis of water without emitting carbon dioxide or requiring fossil fuels. In the past, this renewable means of hydrogen production has suffered from low efficiency (2–6%), which increased the area of the PV array required and therefore, the cost of generating hydrogen. A comprehensive mathematical model was developed that can predict the efficiency of a PV-electrolyzer combination based on operating parameters including voltage, current, temperature, and gas output pressure. This model has been used to design optimized PV-electrolyzer systems with maximum solar energy to hydrogen efficiency. In this research, the electrical efficiency of the PV-electrolysis system was increased by matching the maximum power output and voltage of the photovoltaics to the operating voltage of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, and optimizing the effects of electrolyzer operating current, and temperature. The operating temperature of the PV modules was also an important factor studied in this research to increase efficiency. The optimized PV-electrolysis system increased the hydrogen generation efficiency to 12.4% for a solar powered PV-PEM electrolyzer that could supply enough hydrogen to operate a fuel cell vehicle.     

Electrocoagulation of a synthetic textile effluent powered by photovoltaic energy without batteries: Direct connection behaviour

The feasibility of the use of an electrocoagulation system (EC) directly powered by a photovoltaic (PV) array has been demonstrated. The model pollutant used was a reactive textile dye Remazol Red RB 133. It has been proved that PV array configuration is a factor of great influence on the use of the generated power. The optimum PV array configuration must be reshaped depending on the instantaneous solar irradiation. A useful and effective methodology to adjust the EC–PV system operation conditions depending on solar irradiation has been proposed. The current flow ratio, J_v, is established as the control parameter.     

Determination of magnetic field constant of DC permanent magnet motor powered by photovoltaic for maximum mechanical energy output

The DC permanent magnet motor coupled with centrifugal pump has the better matching when directly powered by photovoltaic (PV) array. The important parameter of DC permanent magnet (DC PM) motor is magnetic field constant. The method for the determination of optimum magnetic field constant of DC PM motor, when powered by PV, has been obtained, and its analysis has been carried out for different magnetic field constants. It has been found that the maximum output is available at the output-energy-weighted average value of magnetic field constant. The parameter, magnetic field constant, should be properly selected during the design of DC PM motor in order to extract the maximum power from PV array.     

Utility-Interactive Hybrid Distributed Generation Scheme With Compensation Feature

A new, utility-interactive hybrid distributed generation scheme, with reactive power compensation feature, is presented. The basic objective is to realize a reliable power supply for a remotely located critical load. Fuel cell (FC) stack and photovoltaic (PV) array are considered as energy sources. These sources can be operated independently or in conjunction as per the requirement. The control logic employed ensures maximum utilization of the PV array, resulting in optimum operational costs. Only one inverter is used to connect both the FC stack and the PV array to the utility. Apart from feeding active power into the grid, the system can also provide reactive power compensation. Active and reactive power can be independently controlled by controlling the inverter's power angle and modulation index, respectively. This provides more flexibility in control and operation. All the details of this work, including power and control circuits, MATLAB simulation results, and experimental results, are presented.     

Optimum matching parameters of an MPPT unit used for a PVG‐powered water pumping system for maximum power transfer

Photovoltaic generator (PVG)‐powered water pumping has the potential to bring potable water to millions of people in developing countries. However, due to the high initial cost of PVG units, sophisticated load matching is required between the water pumping system and PVG, in order to be able to extract maximum available power from an available PVG unit at all solar radiation levels. This requires an intermediate circuitry between the PVG unit and the motor driving the water pump, which is usually termed as maximum power point trackers (MPPT). This present paper therefore investigates the optimum matching parameters of a power conditioning circuit, which is composed of a double step‐up dc–dc converter (DSUC). This MPTT circuit is used for interfacing a permanent magnet (PM) motor‐driven water pumping system to a PVG for extracting maximum available power from PVG, hence maximizing the energy utilization efficiency and price–performance ratio of the whole system. It is shown that two key parameters of the DSUC, which are the duty cycle and chopping frequency, are dominating the performance of the whole system, and they are interrelated and load dependent. Therefore, optimum values of these parameters need to be determined. An example system is provided in which a complete modelling is presented in time domain and through numerical experiments it is demonstrated how the optimum values of these two key matching parameters can be determined for a given system. The MPPT circuit used in this investigation is suitable for optimum matching of all types of loads to PVG units, provided that an optimum frequency–duty cycle pair is determined for the choppers in DSUC for every 5% bands of solar radiation between 20 and 100%. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photovoltaic field emulation including dynamic and partial shadow conditions

In this paper the development of a new laboratory prototype for the emulation of a photovoltaic (PV) field is presented. The proposed system is based on a DC/DC step-down converter topology and allows to obtain the solar array I–V curves, taking into account the environmental changes in solar irradiance and cell temperature. The DC/DC converter control strategy is deduced by using a comprehensive mathematical model of the PV field whose parameters are obtained from the knowledge of: (a) maximum power point data, measured when the PV plant power converter is running, (b) open circuit voltage and short-circuit current, measured off-line. This approach allows the most accurate representation of the PV source. Computer simulations and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed circuit acts as a highly accurate and efficient laboratory simulator of the photovoltaic array electrical characteristics both in steady state and transient conditions. Partial shading and fluctuating conditions can be reproduced too. Moreover the dynamic behaviour of the proposed laboratory emulator is suitable to its effective connection to power electronic interface to the utility or to load through a DC/DC boost converter.     

负载缺电率用于独立光伏系统的最优化设计

在确定光伏方阵最佳倾角时,应综合考虑方阵面上太阳辐射量的连续性、均匀性和极大性。“夏半年”和“冬半年”周期内入射到倾斜面上的平均日辐射量Ｈ１和Ｈ２相等或在盯等之前Ｈ２有极大值,则其对应角度即为最佳倾角。通过改变相应放电深度的简便计算方法,即可得到应于不同负载缺电率的一系列光伏方阵与蓄电池容量组合,从而确定最方阵和蓄电池容量。     

Computer-aided design of PV/wind hybrid system

A complete set of match calculation methods for optimum sizing of PV/wind hybrid system is presented. In this method, the more accurate and practical mathematic models for characterizing PV module, wind generator and battery are adopted; combining with hourly measured meteorologic data and load data, the performance of a PV/wind hybrid system is determined on a hourly basis; by fixing the capacity of wind generators, the whole year’s LPSP (loss of power supply probability) values of PV/wind hybrid systems with different capacity of PV array and battery bank are calculated, then the trade-off curve between battery bank and PV array capacity is drawn for the given LPSP value; the optimum configuration which can meet the energy demand with the minimum cost can be found by drawing a tangent to the trade-off curve with the slope representing the relationship between cost of PV module and that of the battery. According to this match calculation method, a set of match calculation programs for optimum sizing of PV/wind hybrid systems have been developed. Applying these match calculation programs to an assumed PV/wind hybrid system to be installed at Waglan island of Hong Kong, the optimum configuration and its hourly, daily, monthly and yearly performances are given.     

Methodology for optimally sizing the combination of a battery bankand PV array in a wind/PV hybrid system

In this paper, a methodology for calculation of the optimum size of a battery bank and the PV array for a standalone hybrid wind/PV power system is developed. Long term data of wind speed and irradiance recorded for every hour of the day for 30 years were used. These data were used to calculate the average power generated by a wind turbine and a PV module for every hour of a typical day in a month. A load of a typical house in Massachusetts, USA, was used as a load demand of the hybrid system. For a given load and a desired loss of power supply probability, an optimum number of batteries and PV modules was calculated based on the minimum cost of the power system     

Optimum design of a photovoltaic powered pumping system

Photovoltaic (PV) powered pumping systems are relatively simple and reliable, hence they are applied worldwide. Two conventional techniques are curently in use; the first is the directly coupled technique where a PV array is directly coupled to a d.c. motor-pump group, and the second is the battery buffered PV pumping system where a battery is connected across the array to feed the d.c. motor driving a pump. Recently, a third system is proposed to make use of the advantages of the previously mentioned conventional systems. It is the switched mode PV powered pumping system.

The switched mode PV powered pumping system couples the pumping system to the PV array directly when the storage battery is fully charged as explained in Ref. [5]. The objective of such a system is the maximum utilization of available solar radiation to minimize the cost per pumped cubic meter from a given water depth. For a given location, four main parameters affect the design of this system; (1) d.c. motor-pump group parameters, (2) PV array size, (3) battery storage size and (4) water storage tank size. The system designer has to determine the previously mentioned four parameters so that the minimum cost per pumped cubic meter is achieved. It is found that some factors are more effective in reducing the cost than others. The PV array size is the predominant factor, while the battery storage and water tank sizes have relatively less effect. The system installation cost is considered in the detailed economic analysis discussed in this work.     

Performance analysis of a directly coupled photovoltaic water-pumping system

The application of a stand-alone directly coupled photovoltaic (PV) electromechanical system for water pumping has increased in remote areas of developing countries. In this work, the performance of a PV-powered dc permanent-magnet (PM) motor coupled with a centrifugal pump has been analyzed at different solar intensities and corresponding cell temperature. The results obtained by experiments are compared with the calculated values, and it is observed that this system has a good match between the PV array and the electromechanical system characteristics. Through manual tracking (i.e., changing the orientation of PV array, three times a day to face the sun) the output obtained is 20% more compared to the fixed tilted PV array. It has been observed that the torque-speed curve at low solar intensities for a PV electromechanical system should be steeper than at higher solar intensities, and the load torque-speed curve should be as steep as possible in the operating region with low starting torque. The performance analysis will be helpful to select the suitable PV electromechanical system for water-pumping applications.