Experimental results of controlled PV module for building integrated PV systems

Last issues about Building Integrated Photovoltaic Systems (BIPV) still show average Performance Ratio (PR) values in the range of 0.75–0.80. The main causes well known: partial shadows, temperature effects, PV inverter losses, thermal losses, etc. and mismatching losses. Ideally, all the modules work in the same conditions, but differences between modules really exist due to differences in the working temperature, the inclination or orientation angles, differences in the I–V characteristic coming from the manufacturing process, etc. The effect is that the output power of the complete PV system is lower than the addition of the power of each PV module.These mismatching losses can be decreased by means of suitable electronics. This paper presents the experimental results obtained over PV systems equipped with controlled PV modules, PV modules with low cost and high efficiency DC–DC converters, including MPPT algorithm and other functions, such as power control and Power Line Communications (PLC).Tests have been divided into two great categories: tests on the electronic performance of the DC–DC converter and tests on grid-connected PV systems with multiple DC–DC converters. Many of these tests have been carried out taking advantage of the PV System Test Platform, a powerful tool especially designed by Robotiker to evaluate all kind of PV systems, especially systems with differences between modules. Aspects of the DC–DC converter performance have been detailed and among the most important experiments, the paper analyses different situations such as partial shadows, different inclined planes, PV systems with different PV modules, and finally a comparison between a conventional system and a system composed by controlled PV modules have been described. To sum up, the importance of a good system dimensioning is analysed, with very interesting results.     

Inverter sizing of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the light of local solar resource distribution characteristics and temperature

Inverter sizing strategies for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems often do not take into account site-dependent peculiarities of ambient temperature, inverter operating temperature and solar irradiation distribution characteristics. The operating temperature affects PV modules and inverters in different ways and PV systems will hardly ever have a DC output equal to or above their STC-rated nominal power. Inverters are usually sized with a nominal AC output power some 30% (sometimes even more) below the PV array nominal power. In this paper, we show that this practice might lead to considerable energy losses, especially in the case of PV technologies with high temperature coefficients of power operating at sites with cold climates and of PV technologies with low temperature coefficients of power operating at sites with warm climates and an energy distribution of sunlight shifted to higher irradiation levels. In energy markets where PV kW h’s are paid premium tariffs, like in Germany, energy yield optimization might result in a favorable payback of the extra capital invested in a larger inverter.This paper discusses how the time resolution of solar radiation data influences the correct sizing of PV plants.We demonstrate that using instant (10 s) irradiation values instead of average hourly irradiation values leads to considerable differences in optimum inverter sizing. When calculating inverter yearly efficiency values using both, hourly averages and 1-min averages, we can show that with increased time resolution of solar irradiation data there are higher calculated losses due to inverter undersizing. This reveals that hourly averages hide important irradiation peaks that need to be considered.We performed these calculations for data sets from pyranometer readings from Freiburg (48°N, Germany) and Florianopolis (27°S, Brazil) to further show the peculiarities of the site-dependent distribution of irradiation levels and its effects on inverter sizing.     

Use of a reluctance stepper motor for solar tracking based on a programmable logic array (PLA) controller

The tracking of solar cell panels in solar-generation systems has improved their overall efficiency to a great extent. The methods used previously were either active or passive. In order to ensure a relatively small position resolution for the panel axis, the DC motors ordinarily used for active solar tracking need a complicated gear system. In this work, a 8/6 four-phase, reluctance stepper motor (RSM) controlled by a programmable logic array (PLA) is used. The angular position resolution for the RSM is 7.5°. This resolution is guaranteed due to locking of the RSM at each step through a power converter fed from a 220 V DC supply. The control circuit for the power converter consists of an Erasable Electronic Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) and a PLA chip. The control circuit is fed from two separate sensing cells which determine the movement to the next angular position. The application of this tracker is essential for stand-alone systems in remote areas. Its use may result in improving the solar energy generation by a considerable factor. The control system is a completely closed loop system without any human interference.     

Modeling and simulation of three phase multilevel inverter for grid connected photovoltaic systems

This paper presents a control for a three phase five-level neutral clamped inverter (NPC) for grid connected PV system. The maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is capable of extracting maximum power from the PV array connected to each DC link voltage level. The MPPT algorithm is solved by fuzzy logic controller. The fuzzy MPPT is integrated with the inverter so that a DC–DC converter is not needed and the output shows accurate and fast response. A digital PI current control algorithm is used to remain the current injected into the grid sinusoidal and to achieve high dynamic performance with low total harmonic distortion (THD). The validity of the system is verified through MATLAB/Simulink and the results are compared with three phase three-level grid connected NPC inverter in terms of THD.     

A maximum power point tracking for photovoltaic-SPE system using a maximum current controller

Processes to produce hydrogen from solar photovoltaic (PV)-powered water electrolysis using solid polymer electrolysis (SPE) are reported. An alternative control of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in the PV-SPE system based on the maximum current searching methods has been designed and implemented.Based on the characteristics of voltage–current and theoretical analysis of SPE, it can be shown that the tracking of the maximum current output of DC–DC converter in SPE side will track the MPPT of photovoltaic panel simultaneously.This method uses a proportional integrator controller to control the duty factor of DC–DC converter with pulse-width modulator (PWM).The MPPT performance and hydrogen production performance of this method have been evaluated and discussed based on the results of the experiment.     

Determining optimum tilt angles and orientations of photovoltaic panels in Sanliurfa, Turkey

The performance of a photovoltaic (PV) panel is affected by its orientation and its tilt angle with the horizontal plane. This is because both of these parameters change the amount of solar energy received by the surface of the PV panel. A mathematical model was used to estimate the total solar radiation on the tilted PV surface, and to determine optimum tilt angles for a PV panel installed in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The optimum tilt angles were determined by searching for the values of angles for which the total radiation on the PV surface was maximum for the period studied. The study also investigated the effect of two-axis solar tracking on energy gain compared to a fixed PV panel. This study determined that the monthly optimum tilt angle for a PV panel changes throughout the year with its minimum value as 13° in June and maximum value as 61° in December. The results showed that the gains in the amount of solar radiation throughout the year received by the PV panel mounted at monthly optimum tilt angles with respect to seasonal optimum angles and tilt angel equal to latitude were 1.1% and 3.9%, respectively. Furthermore, daily average of 29.3% gain in total solar radiation results in an daily average of 34.6% gain in generated power with two-axis solar tracking compared to a south facing PV panel fixed at 14° tilt angle on a particular day in July in Sanliurfa, Turkey.     

Further improvement of a transformerless, voltage-boosting inverter for AC modules

For reducing the manufacturing cost and for increasing the efficiency of module-integrated converter the transformerless concept is suitable. The new type inverter, which is proposed in this paper, basically works as buck boost DC–DC converter. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of the active switches in comparison with conventional inverter for AC modules because of simple circuit topology. In this paper authors present the control method and operation test results including both stand alone and grid connected for the new type transformerless inverter. These measurement results show that the performances can compete with the conventional small inverter (rated capacity around 50 W).     

Discrete two-positional tracking of solar collectors

Northern European regions, such as Estonia at 60° latitude, receive about 980 kWh m⁻² y⁻¹ of solar radiation. These low insolation levels motivate solar collectors to be equipped with a tracking mechanism for an increased yield. Classical active tracking is complicated and energy intensive, negating tracking benefits for PV modules and thermal flat-plate collectors. This paper describes mainly the performance of PV modules with daily two-positional tracking. The symmetrical and asymmetrical positions about the north–south axis are analyzed, corresponding to the positions of sun in the morning and in the afternoon. The tracking drive is simple and requires a minimum energy input during the brief daily triggering of movement. Results indicate that the seasonal energy yield is increased by 10–20% over the yield from a fixed south-facing collector tilted at an optimal angle. The results are based on long-term solar data measured at the Tartu-Tõravere Meteorological Station in Estonia, confirmed by experimental testing during summer 2004 and 2005 in Tallinn University of Technology.     

Long-term field test of solar PV power generation using one-axis 3-position sun tracker

The 1 axis-3 position (1A-3P) sun tracking PV was built and tested to measure the daily and long-term power generation of the solar PV system. A comparative test using a fixed PV and a 1A-3P tracking PV was carried out with two identical stand-alone solar-powered LED lighting systems. The field test in the particular days shows that the 1A-3P tracking PV can generate 35.8% more electricity than the fixed PV in a partly-cloudy weather with daily-total solar irradiation H_T = 11.7 MJ/m² day, or 35.6% in clear weather with H_T = 18.5 MJ/m² day. This indicates that the present 1A-3P tracking PV can perform very close to a dual-axis continuous tracking PV (Kacira et al., 2004). The long-term outdoor test results have shown that the increase of daily power generation of 1A-3P tracking PV increases with increasing daily-total solar irradiation. The increase of monthly-total power generation for 1A-3P sun tracking PV is between 18.5-28.0%. The total power generation increase in the test period from March 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011, is 23.6% in Taipei (an area of low solar energy resource). The long-term performance of the present 1X-3P tracking PV is shown very close to the 1-axis continuous tracking PV in Taiwan (Chang, 2009). If the 1A-3P tracking PV is used in the area of high solar energy resource with yearly-average H_T > 17 MJ/m² day, the increase of total long-term power generation with respect to fixed PV will be higher than 37.5%. This is very close to that of dual-axis continuous tracking PV.The 1A-3P tracker can be easily mounted on the wall of a building. The cost of the whole tracker is about the same as the regular mounting cost of a conventional rooftop PV system. This means that there is no extra cost for 1A-3P PV mounted on buildings. The 1A-3P PV is quite suitable for building-integrated applications.     

Experimental evaluation of V-trough (2 suns) PV concentrator system using commercial PV modules

V-trough photovoltaic (PV) concentrator systems along with conventional 1-sun PV module is designed and fabricated to assess PV electricity cost ($/W) reduction. V-trough concentrator (2-sun) system is developed for different types of tracking modes: seasonal, one axis north–south and two axes tracking. Three design models based on these tracking modes are used to develop the V-trough for a 2-sun concentration. Commercially available PV modules of different make and types were evaluated for their usability under 2-sun concentration. The V-trough concentrator system with geometric concentration ratio of 2 (2-sun) increases the output power by 44% as compared to PV flat-plate system for passively cooled modules. Design models with lower trough angles gave higher output power because of higher glass transmittivity. PV modules with lower series resistance gave higher gain in output power. The unit cost ($/W) for a V-trough concentrator, based on different design models, is compared with that of a PV flat plate system inclined at latitude angle (Mumbai, φ=19.12°).     

Optimized photovoltaic generator–water electrolyser coupling through a controlled DC–DC converter

The coupling of a photovoltaic generator and an electrolyser is one of the most promising options for obtaining hydrogen from a renewable energy source. Both are well known technologies, however, since the high variability of the solar radiation, an efficient coupling still presents some challenges. Direct or through a DC–DC converter couplings are the options in isolated applications. In this work, three models, respectively, for a photovoltaic (PV) generator, a controlled DC–DC converter and a complete proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser have been designed by using Matlab/Simulink. A PV-electrolyser specific algorithm to search for the optimum and safe working point for both elements is presented. Simulation results demonstrate that the use of a controlled DC–DC converter with the proposed algorithm shows better adaptability to the variable radiation conditions than the other coupling options. Therefore, it leads to a better compliance between the electrolyser and the sizing of the PV generator.     

A multipurpose dual-axis solar tracker with two tracking strategies

This paper deals with a multipurpose dual-axis solar tracker that can be applied to solar power systems. This tracker employs a declination-clock mounting system that locates the primary axis in east-west direction. Based on this mounting system, normal tracking strategy and daily adjustment strategy are developed for flat Photovoltaic (PV) systems and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems respectively. While the former strategy keeps the tracking errors smaller than the pre-specified values, the latter one simplifies the tracking process by adjusting the primary axis once a day and driving the secondary axis to rotate at a constant speed of 15°/h. Results of the accuracy test indicate that the tracking error of the normal tracking strategy is within 0.15°. The other strategy may have greater tracking errors, but its annual average cosine loss for flat PV systems is estimated to be below 1.3%. Furthermore, in the test on the output of the PV modules, it is found that the average energy efficiency of the normal tracking PV, compared with the fixed PV, is more than 23.6%. And the average energy efficiency of the daily adjusted PV is more than 31.8%. Results of the experiment show that the two tracking strategies are both feasible for the developed tracker.     

一种10 kW光伏逆变器的研究与开发

介绍了一种10 kW太阳能光伏逆变器,叙述了这种光伏逆变器的工作原理及系统结构,由于采用最大功率点跟踪和Buck变换预稳压方案使光伏逆变器不仅能适应阻性负载,还能适应电感性负载,具有效率高,体积小,带载能力强等特点,可应用于太阳能光伏系统。     

Grid connected fuel cell and PV hybrid power generating system design with Matlab Simulink

Renewable energy sources have been taken the place of the traditional energy sources and especially rapidly developments of photovoltaic (PV) technology and fuel cell (FC) technology have been put forward these renewable energy sources (RES) in all other RES. PV systems have been started to be used widely in domestic applications connected to electrical grid and grid connected PV power generating systems have become widespread all around the world. On the other hand, fuel cell power generating systems have been used to support the PV generating so hybrid generation systems consist of PV and fuel cell technology are investigated for power generating. In this study, a grid connected fuel cell and PV hybrid power generating system was developed with Matlab Simulink. 160 Wp solar module was developed based on solar module temperature and solar irradiation by using real data sheet of a commercial PV module and then by using these modules 800 Wp PV generator was obtained. Output current and voltage of PV system was used for input of DC/DC boost converter and its output was used for the input of the inverter. PV system was connected to the grid and designed 5 kW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system was used for supporting the DC bus of the hybrid power generating system. All results obtained from the simulated hybrid power system were explained in the paper. Proposed model was designed as modular so designing and simulating grid connected SOFC and PV systems can be developed easily thanks to flexible design.     

The impact of array inclination and orientation on the performance of a grid-connected photovoltaic system

The impact of PV surface orientation and inclination on grid-connected photovoltaic system performance under maritime climates was investigated using validated TRNSYS simulations. Insolation, PV output, PV efficiency, inverter efficiency, system efficiency, performance ratio (PR) and PV savings were estimated annually, seasonally and on monthly bases for various surface inclinations and orientations. Incident insolation and PV output were maximum for a surface with inclination 30° facing due south and minimum for a vertical surface with orientation 90° east or west from south. The monthly optimum collection angle maximising incident insolation varied from 10° to 70°. For the particular location and system studied, the maximum annual PV efficiency, the inverter efficiency, the PR and the system efficiency were for a south-facing surface with an inclination of 20°. For a horizontal surface, the monthly variation of system parameters was significant over a year. For time-dependent tariff rates, the annual PV savings were higher for a system oriented with same orientation towards the west than east from south while for constants tariff rates, the PV savings was the same for east or west orientation from south.     

SMC-DPC based active and reactive power control of grid-tied three phase inverter for PV systems

In this paper, sliding mode control (SMC) – direct power controller (DPC) based active and reactive power controller for three-phase grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed. The proposed system consists of two main controllers: the DC/DC boost converter to track the possible maximum power from the PV panels and the grid-tied three-phase inverter. The Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm is used to transfer the maximum power from the PV panels. Control of the active and reactive powers is performed using the SMC-DPC strategy without any rotating coordinate transformations or phase angle tracking of the grid voltage. In addition, extra current control cycles are not used to simplify the system design and to increase transient performance. The fixed switching frequency is obtained by using space vector modulation (SVM). The proposed system provides very good results both in transient and steady states with the simple algorithms of P&O and SMC-DPC methods. Moreover, the results are evaluated by comparing the SMC-DPC method developed for MPPT and the traditional PI control method. The proposed controller method is achieved with TMS320F28335 DSP processor and the system is experimentally tested for 12 kW PV generation systems.     

Opportunities for utilization of stand-alone hybrid (photovoltaic + diesel + battery) power systems in hot climates

There is a growing awareness that combustion fuels are a limited resource and burning of these fuels is the principal cause of air pollution, and possibly environmental warming. This recognition is elevating interest and activity toward the development and application of alternative/renewable sources of energy, such as solar energy to displace some of the use of fossil fuels. In this context, Saudi Arabia being enriched with fairly high degree of solar radiation, is a suitable candidate for deployment of solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels for power generation in crisis. Literature shows that residential buildings in Saudi Arabia consume about 47% of the total electric energy generated/consumed. In the present study, hourly mean solar radiation data for the period 1986–1993 recorded at the solar radiation and meteorological monitoring station, Dhahran (26° 32’ N, 50°13’ E), Saudi Arabia, have been analyzed to examine/investigate the potential of utilizing hybrid (PV + diesel) power systems to meet the load requirements of a typical residential building (with annual electrical energy demand of 35 200 kWh). The monthly average daily values of solar global irradiation for Dhahran range from 3.61 kwh/m² to 7.96 kwh/m². The hybrid systems considered in the present analysis consist of different combinations of PV panels/modules (different array sizes) supplemented with battery storage unit and diesel back-up. The study shows that with 225 m² PV together with 12 h of battery storage, the diesel back-up system has to provide 9% of the load demand. However, in absence of battery bank, about 58% of the load needs to be provided by the diesel system.     

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.     

An improved energy saving v/f control technique for solar powered single-phase induction motor

With the increased energy demand and fast decaying of fossil fuels, renewable energy has remarkably gained importance in recent years. Hence a novel speed control method for wide speed operation of single-phase induction motor utilizing the non-conventional energy such as solar power is proposed in this paper. The proposed speed control method consists of two-stages of power conversion; the DC–DC boost converter with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) forms the first stage and the second stage is made up of parallel connected inverter fed single-phase induction motor load. Wide speed operation with proposed method is accomplished by volt/hertz (v/f) control technique. The performance characteristics of the motor load with the proposed method are determined for different operating conditions. The results obtained are compared with existing method of speed control. Simulated and experimental results are substantiated to validate the superiority of the proposed system. Significant energy saving together with better efficiency is achieved.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the behaviour of a photovoltaic pumping system

The aim of the paper is to present the influence of the solar radiation variation on the performances of a stand alone photovoltaic pumping system which consists of photovoltaic generator, dc-dc converter, dc-ac inverter, an immersed group motor-pump and a storage tank that serves a similar purpose to battery storage. Hence a theoretical analysis (modelling and control) of the system is needed. Attention has been paid to the command of the power converters using MPPT and variable laws. The MPPT control allows the extraction of the maximal output power delivered by the PV generator. The inverter ensures the PWM control of the asynchronous motor and a sine wave form of output signals. From the obtained simulation results, we will show that the decrease of the solar radiation degrades performances (the global efficiency and the flow rate) of the PV pumping system. The analysis is validated by simulation and experimental results.