Six‐element circuit for maximum power point tracking in photovoltaic‐motor systems with variable‐frequency drives

A low‐cost circuit was developed for stable and efficient maximum power point (MPP) tracking in autonomous photovoltaic‐motor systems with variable‐frequency drives (VFDs). The circuit is made of two resistors, two capacitors, and two Zener diodes. Its input is the photovoltaic (PV) array voltage and its output feeds the proportional‐integral‐derivative (PID) controller usually integrated into the drive. The steady‐state frequency–voltage oscillations induced by the circuit were treated in a simplified mathematical model, which was validated by widely characterizing a PV‐powered centrifugal pump. General procedures for circuit and controller tuning were recommended based on model equations. The tracking circuit presented here is widely applicable to PV‐motor system with VFDs, offering an efficient open‐access technology of unique simplicity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Technique for Improving P&O MPPT Performances of Double-Stage Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems

In double-stage grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) inverters, the dynamic interactions among the DC/DC and DC/AC stages and the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller may reduce the system performances. In this paper, the detrimental effects, particularly in terms of system efficiency and MPPT performances, of the oscillations of the PV array voltage, taking place at the second harmonic of the grid frequency are evidenced. The use of a proper compensation network acting on the error signal between a reference signal provided by the MPPT controller and a signal that is proportional to the PV array voltage is proposed. The guidelines for the proper joint design of the compensation network (which is able to cancel out the PV voltage oscillations) and of the main MPPT parameters are provided in this paper. Simulation results and experimental measurements confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

DC voltage control and stability analysis of PWM-voltage-typereversible rectifiers

A PWM voltage rectifier has useful characteristics on its DC and AC sides. On its DC side, a DC-link unidirectional voltage is obtained and bidirectional power transfer capability is possible by reversing the flow direction of the DC-link current. On its AC side, near sinusoidal current waveforms and AC four-quadrant operation can be obtained, leading to high-quality power being exchanged between the power converter and the mains. The use of AC filters becomes unnecessary. The rectifier DC voltage must be regulated to a constant value. In this paper, three solutions for the DC voltage control are presented. In the first solution, the DC voltage is controlled by acting upon the quadrature component of the power converter fundamental Park's voltages with relation to the mains voltages. Slow responses are necessary because of stability reasons. Also, load power variations produce both active and reactive power variations in the power converter AC side. To improve the DC voltage response, a second control solution is presented. The power converter currents in Park's coordinates must be controlled. The DC voltage is controlled by controlling the direct Park's current component and, thus, acting only on the active power of the converter AC side. Faster responses are achieved. In this case, load power variations do not produce reactive power variations in the converter AC side. The third control solution is a simplified version of this last one. Experimental results from a 2 kVA IGBT-based prototype showing good system dynamic performance are presented     

Solar Energy System with Digital Controller for Grid Connected Systems

The solar photovoltaic (PV) module output voltage changes according to the variation of light intensity and temperature. This paper presents the implementation of an automatic digital controller of a DC-DC boost converter without batteries for a solar cell module by using a peripheral interface controller, which forms a closed loop, to control the ON-OFF period of the switching pulse. The output of DC-DC converter is maintained by automatically increasing or decreasing the pulse width. To produce the pulse width modulation (PWM), the microcontroller is programmed according to the required duty cycle for the power switch. The PWM ON period is increased with the decrease in the PV voltage and vice-versa. The input voltage to the inverter is maintained constantly and is converted into an AC signal by using the metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) H-bridge operated in the sinusoidal pulse width modulation mode by using a PIC (peripheral interface controller) microcontroller. The generated AC signal can be connected to the AC grid or to the AC load. The simulated results by using Proteus 8 and hardware implemented results verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

Recurrent Functional-Link-Based Fuzzy-Neural-Network-Controlled Induction-Generator System Using Improved Particle Swarm Optimization

A recurrent functional-link (FL)-based fuzzy-neural-network (FNN) controller with improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) is proposed in this paper to control a three-phase induction-generator (IG) system for stand-alone power application. First, an indirect field-oriented mechanism is implemented for the control of the IG. Then, an AC/DC power converter and a DC/AC power inverter are developed to convert the electric power generated by a three-phase IG from variable frequency and variable voltage to constant frequency and constant voltage, respectively. Moreover, two online-trained recurrent FL-based FNNs are introduced as the regulating controllers for both the DC-link voltage of the AC/DC power converter and the AC line voltage of the DC/AC power inverter. Furthermore, IPSO is adopted to adjust the learning rates to improve the online learning capability of the recurrent FL-based FNNs. Finally, some experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed recurrent FL-based FNN-controlled IG system.     

A robust low quiescent current power receiver for inductive power transmission in bio implants

In this paper, a robust low quiescent current complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) power receiver for wireless power transmission is presented. This power receiver consists of three main parts including rectifier, switch capacitor DC–DC converter and low-dropout regulator (LDO) without output capacitor. The switch capacitor DC–DC converter has variable conversion ratios and synchronous controller that lets the DC–DC converter to switch among five different conversion ratios to prevent output voltage drop and LDO regulator efficiency reduction. For all ranges of output current (0–10 mA), the voltage regulator is compensated and is stable. Voltage regulator stabilisation does not need the off-chip capacitor. In addition, a novel adaptive biasing frequency compensation method for low dropout voltage regulator is proposed in this paper. This method provides essential minimum current for compensation and reduces the quiescent current more effectively. The power receiver was designed in a 180-nm industrial CMOS technology, and the voltage range of the input is from 0.8 to 2 V, while the voltage range of the output is from 1.2 to 1.75 V, with a maximum load current of 10 mA, the unregulated efficiency of 79.2%, and the regulated efficiency of 64.4%.     

Two-stage single-phase grid-connected photovoltaic system with reduced complexity

This article presents a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system using the classical DC–DC buck converter, which is responsible for stepping down the resulting voltage from several series-connected panels. Besides, the structure provides high power factor operation by injecting a quasi-sinusoidal current into the grid, with near no displacement in relation to the line voltage at the point of common coupling among the PV system and the loads. A CSI employing thyristors is cascaded with the DC–DC stage so that AC voltage results. The inverter output voltage level is adjusted by using a low-frequency transformer, which also provides galvanic isolation. The proposed system is described as mathematical approach and design guidelines are presented, providing an overview of the topology. An experimental prototype is also implemented, and relevant results to validate the proposal are discussed.     

A low‐cost photovoltaic emulator for static and dynamic evaluation of photovoltaic power converters and facilities

In testing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms running on electronic power converters for photovoltaic (PV) applications, either a PV energy source (PV module or PV array) or a PV emulator is required. With a PV emulator, it is possible to control the testing conditions with accuracy so that it is the preferred option. The PV source is modeled as a current source; thus, the emulator has to work as a current source dependent on its output voltage. The proposed emulator is a buck converter with an average current mode control loop, which allows testing the static and dynamic performance of PV facilities up to 3 kW. To validate the concept, the emulator is used to evaluate the MPPT algorithm of a 230‐W experimental microinverter working from a single PV module. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A complete DC and AC analysis of three-phase controlled-current PWMrectifier using circuit D-Q transformation

A recently proposed circuit P-Q transformation is used to analyze a three-phase controlled-current PWM rectifier. The DC operating point and AC transfer functions are completely determined. Most features of the power converter are clearly interpreted. They are: (1) the output voltage can be controlled from zero to maximum; (2) the system is equivalently an ideal current source in the steady state; (3) the system can be described as linear circuits; and (4) the input power factor can be arbitrarily controlled within a certain control range     

Maximum Power Point Tracking Controller for Thermoelectric Generators with Peak Gain Control of Boost DC–DC Converters

An analog maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuit for a thermoelectric generator (TEG) is proposed. We show that the peak point of the voltage conversion gain of a boost DC?CDC converter with an input voltage source having an internal resistor is the maximum power point of the TEG. The key characteristic of the proposed MPPT controller is that the duty ratio of the input clock pulse to the boost DC?CDC converter shifts toward the maximum power point of the TEG by seeking the peak gain point of the boost DC?CDC converters. The proposed MPPT technique provides a simple and useful analog MPPT solution, without employing digital microcontroller units.     

Photovoltaic Power Conditioning System With Line Connection

A photovoltaic (PV) power conditioning system (PCS) with line connection is proposed. Using the power slope versus voltage of the PV array, the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller that produces a smooth transition to the maximum power point is proposed. The dc current of the PV array is estimated without using a dc current sensor. A current controller is suggested to provide power to the line with an almost-unity power factor that is derived using the feedback linearization concept. The disturbance of the line voltage is detected using a fast sensing technique. All control functions are implemented in software with a single-chip microcontroller. Experimental results obtained on a 2-kW prototype show high performance such as an almost-unity power factor, a power efficiency of 94%, and a total harmonic distortion (THD) of 3.6%.     

FPGA电流型PMSM变频驱动器及开路故障保护

电流源逆变器(CSI)随着反阻断IGBT器件的成功开发,在电动汽车等大功率变频调速领域前景广大。FPGA作为控制器,其时序控制能力强大,适合用来实现基于电流型空间矢量脉宽调制(SVPWM)技术的永磁同步电机(PMSM)变频驱动器。该系统通过采用最小直流链电流命令产生法和合理的死区开关状态设置,有效减小直流和开关损耗。系统为应对开路故障引起直流链电感产生瞬间高压打坏开关器件的现象,设置由双向TVS管和功率电阻构成的电感电压箝位环节,并监测直流链电流值,一旦低于限值则实现保护性停机。实际系统使用Xilinx公司FPGA开发板,基于电流源逆变器转子参考框下交流侧的理论模型,建立了一套数字化闭环调速策略,实测定子电流THD值及功率因数均达到良好效果。     

一种新型交错并联同相降压升压DC/DC转换器

为了有效降低电流纹波和提高转换器效率,提出一种新型交错并联同相降压升压DC/DC转换器。提出的结构通过采用输入/输出（I/O）磁耦合交错并联和阻尼网络技术,降低了开关的电压应力、内部电压振荡和I/O电流纹波,并提升了转换器的效率。采用状态空间平均法,在连续导通模式下分析了提出转换器的稳态运行,从理论上证明了其优势。样机的功率设置为360W,输出电压为36 V,模拟结果以及实验结果显示,当输出电流为6A时,转换效率最高达到96%,最大输入电流纹波百分比仅为9.4%,相较于其他类似转换器,提出的转换器具有效率较高和I/O电流纹波较低的优势。     

A new state feedback based transient control of PWM AC to DCvoltage type converters

This paper presents a new state feedback based control strategy for a PWM AC to DC voltage type converter with phase and amplitude control. In this control strategy the state variables of the LC filter connected to the AC side of the converter are fed back to the PWM pattern generator, thereby eliminating a DC offset of the AC input currents as well as oscillations of the DC output current during transients. Computer simulation of the converter system with the proposed control strategy shows that the transient waveforms of AC input and DC output currents are improved greatly even if the damping effect of the AC side resistance can not be expected. The DC voltage regulation with good dynamic response is also achieved even if DC capacitance is substantially reduced. Experimental results from a low power laboratory model are also included to confirm the simulated results and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy     

Voltage and current stress reduction in single-stage power factorcorrection AC/DC converters with bulk capacitor voltage feedback

Single-stage power factor correction (PFC) AC/DC converters integrate a boost-derived input current shaper (ICS) with a flyback or forward DC/DC converter in one single stage. The ICS can be operated in either discontinuous current mode (DCM) or continuous current mode (CCM), while the flyback or forward DC/DC converter is operated in CCM. Almost all single-stage PFC AC/DC converters suffer from high bulk capacitor voltage stress and extra switch current stress. The bulk capacitor voltage feedback with a coupled winding structure is widely used to reduce both the voltage and current stresses in practical single-stage PFC AC/DC converters. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the bulk capacitor voltage feedback, including the relationship between bulk capacitor voltage, input current harmonics, voltage feedback ratio, and load condition. The maximum bulk capacitor voltage appears when the DC/DC converter operates at the boundary between CCM and DCM. This paper also reveals that only the voltage feedback ratio determines the input current harmonics under DCM ICS and CCM DC/DC operation. The theoretical prediction of the bulk capacitor voltage as well as the predicted input harmonic contents is verified experimentally on a 60 W AC/DC converter with universal-line input     

基于PSpice的光伏并网系统仿真研究

采用DC／DC和DC／AC两级拓扑结构对光伏并网系统进行了研究和设计,采用改进的定电压跟踪法（CVT）实现最大功率点闭环跟踪,并将PWM控制器引入并网逆变中,采用三角波比较方式实现SPWM电压逆变和输出电流的波形跟踪与控制,在电压、电流内环的基础上引入功率外环以实现系统前后级功率平衡和能量管理,采用基于PSpice的光伏电池仿真模型对所设计光伏并网系统进行了仿真。仿真结果表明,基于PSpice的光伏仿真模型能够有效地模拟实际光伏并网系统的行为特征,将PSpice软件用于光伏发电系统的仿真是可行的。     

直流微电网双向AC/DC变换器鲁棒前馈控制策略研究

针对双向AC/DC功率变换器在直流微电网母线电压稳定性方面的问题,文中提出了一种结合LESO和滑模理论的前馈鲁棒控制策略。通过建立直流微电网三相AC/DC双向功率变换器的动态数学模型,架构了三阶线性扩张状态观测器,并将三阶LESO的观测值用于滑模控制器的设计。该控制策略能够在不需要额外电流传感器的情况下实现前馈控制,并确保系统具有良好的动态性能。该策略还能够有效降低滑模控制的实现难度,提高系统的鲁棒性。仿真分析验证了文中所提控制策略的有效性。     

一种高效开关电容AC—DC变换器

针对开关电容ＤＣ－ＤＣ变换器的效率会随着输入电压的增高而显著下降的现象，提出了一种新型的基于开关电容网络的ＡＣ－ＤＣ变换器，它采用根据输入电压变化而动态确定功率开关的导通和关断的方法，从原理上解决了开关电容ＤＣ－ＤＣ变换器的输入电压动态范围与变换器效率之间的矛盾。理论分析和实验结果表明，该转换器可以在较宽的输入电压范围获得较高的转换效率。     

Parallel processing inverter system

A novel method of instantaneous voltage and power balance control of a parallel processing inverter system is proposed. It consists of a high-speed switching PWM (pulsewidth modulated) inverter with an instantaneous current minor loop controller, a voltage major loop controller, and a power balance controller. This system realizes the following functions with only one inverter: constant AC output voltage control with reactive power control, active filtering to absorb load current harmonics, DC voltage and current control as AC-to-DC converter, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for stand-alone operation. This system covers a wide application range, including UPS systems, new energy systems, and active filters with voltage control functions     

A novel maximum power point tracker for PV panels using switching frequency modulation

A novel technique for efficiently extracting maximum power from photovoltaic (PV) panels is presented. The power conversion stage, which is connected between a PV panel and a load or bus, is a SEPIC or Cuk converter or their derived circuits operating in discontinuous inductor-current or capacitor-voltage mode. A method of locating the maximum power point (MPP) is based on injecting a small-signal sinusoidal perturbation into the switching frequency and comparing the AC component and the average value of the panel terminal voltage. Apart from not requiring any sophisticated digital computation of the panel power, the proposed technique does not approximate the panel characteristics and can globally locate the MPP under wide insolation conditions. The tracking capability has been verified experimentally with a 10 W solar panel under a controlled experimental setup. Performances under the steady state and in the large-signal change of the insolation level will are given.