A Maximum Power Point Tracker for Long-Term Logging of PV Module Performance
TL;DR: The system is designed for the monitoring of individual modules under maximum power point (MPP) conditions that allow the extraction of the energy yield of different modules under optimum conditions and can also be used to monitor the performance and long-term stability of modules under realistic field conditions.
Abstract: We present a monitoring system for the field test of photovoltaic modules. The system is designed for the monitoring of individual modules under maximum power point (MPP) conditions that allow the extraction of the energy yield of different modules under optimum conditions. It can also be used to monitor the performance and long-term stability of modules under realistic field conditions. The monitoring system consists of an individual MPP tracker attached to each module under test. The measurement data are transmitted to a central multichannel data logger by means of analog voltages proportional to the current at MPP, i.e., Imp, and voltage at MPP, i.e., Vmp, of the modules.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a robust stabilization scheme for a three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic system to control the current injected into the grid and dc-link voltage to extract maximum power from PV units is presented.
Abstract: This paper presents a robust stabilization scheme for a three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic system to control the current injected into the grid and dc-link voltage to extract maximum power from photovoltaic (PV) units. The scheme is mainly based on the design of a robust controller using a partial feedback linearizing approach of feedback linearization, where the robustness of the proposed scheme is ensured by considering uncertainties within the PV system model. In this paper, the uncertainties are modeled as structured uncertainties based on the satisfaction of matching conditions. The performance of the proposed stabilization scheme is evaluated on a three-phase grid-connected PV system in terms of delivering maximum power under changes in atmospheric conditions.
75 citations
Cites background from "A Maximum Power Point Tracker for L..."
...Recent improvements on MPPT can be seen in [5] and [6]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a robust nonlinear controller for a three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed to control the current injected into the grid and the dc-link voltage for extracting maximum power from PV units.
Abstract: This paper presents a robust nonlinear controller design for a three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system to control the current injected into the grid and the dc-link voltage for extracting maximum power from PV units. The controller is designed based on the partial feedback linearization approach, and the robustness of the proposed control scheme is ensured by considering structured uncertainties within the PV system model. An approach for modeling the uncertainties through the satisfaction of matching conditions is provided. The superiority of the proposed robust controller is demonstrated on a test system through simulation results under different system contingencies along with changes in atmospheric conditions. From the simulation results, it is evident that the robust controller provides excellent performance under various operating conditions.
57 citations
TL;DR: The market for photovoltaics is reviewed, the concept of Photovoltaic solar energy conversion is discussed and more details are given about the present technological limitations of thin film solar cell technology.
Abstract: Electricity generation by photovoltaic conversion of sunlight is a technology in strong growth. The thin film technology is taking market share from the dominant silicon wafer technology. In this article, the market for photovoltaics is reviewed, the concept of photovoltaic solar energy conversion is discussed and more details are given about the present technological limitations of thin film solar cell technology. Special emphasis is given for solar cells which employ Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 as the sunlight-absorbing layer.
49 citations
TL;DR: This paper highlights the main shortcomings of previous MPPT testing procedures and proposes a comprehensive testing approach using paired difference tests to evaluate the performance of MPPT, and demonstrates a systematic framework to deal with the nonideal factors associated with PV manufacturing, quantify experimental data, and correctly illustrate the performance improvement.
Abstract: Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods are essential for photovoltaic (PV) systems to take full advantage of the available solar energy. Over the past few years, an increasing number of new MPPT methods have been proposed in the literature, and they show better capability of capturing the maximum power point. The testing and evaluation procedure of any new MPPT method is a crucial step for assessing its robustness and performance. PV panel manufacturers always specify power output tolerances, ranging from ±2% to ±5%. Thus, nonideal factors might dominate the subsystem output and defeat any performance comparison attempt and might lead to inaccurate results. This paper highlights the main shortcomings of previous MPPT testing procedures and proposes a comprehensive testing approach using paired difference tests to evaluate the performance of MPPT. The dual channel bench system demonstrates a systematic framework to deal with the nonideal factors associated with PV manufacturing, quantify experimental data, and correctly illustrate the performance improvement of MPPT. The case study shows that the 1% improvement of MPPT could be easily overshadowed by the nonideal factors shown previously. The proposed test setup and analysis method provide the effective solution for evaluating the MPPT performance.
38 citations
Cites background from "A Maximum Power Point Tracker for L..."
...A successful MPPT algorithm shall perform efficiently following real-world weather conditions [27]....
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...power system [1]–[5], [8]–[14], [16]–[20], [22]–[25], [27], which assumes that the weather condition is repeatable for dif-...
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References
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TL;DR: The many different techniques for maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic (PV) arrays are discussed in this paper, and at least 19 distinct methods have been introduced in the literature, with many variations on implementation.
Abstract: The many different techniques for maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic (PV) arrays are discussed. The techniques are taken from the literature dating back to the earliest methods. It is shown that at least 19 distinct methods have been introduced in the literature, with many variations on implementation. This paper should serve as a convenient reference for future work in PV power generation.
5,022 citations
"A Maximum Power Point Tracker for L..." refers background in this paper
...of error margin over a wide range of irradiances [14]....
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01 Sep 2010
2,148 citations
"A Maximum Power Point Tracker for L..." refers background in this paper
...] prevent detrimental high-frequency oscillations caused by the gate capacitances [25]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review recent trends in power semiconductor device technology that are leading to improvements in power losses for power electronic systems and predict that silicon carbide based switches will begin to displace these silicon devices.
Abstract: This paper reviews recent trends in power semiconductor device technology that are leading to improvements in power losses for power electronic systems. In the case of low voltage ( 100 V) power rectifiers, the silicon P-i-N rectifier continues to dominate but significant improvements are expected by the introduction of the silicon MPS rectifier followed by the GaAs and SiC based Schottky rectifiers. Equally important developments are occurring in power switch technology. The silicon bipolar power transistor has been displaced by silicon power MOSFETs in low voltage ( 100 V) systems. The process technology for these MOS-gated devices has shifted from V-MOS in the early 1970s to DMOS in the 1980s, with more recent introduction of the UMOS technology in the 1990s. For the very high power systems, the thyristor and GTO continue to dominate, but significant effort is underway to develop MOS-gated thyristors (MCTs, ESTs, DG-BRTs) to replace them before the turn of the century. Beyond that time frame, it is projected that silicon carbide based switches will begin to displace these silicon devices.
507 citations
"A Maximum Power Point Tracker for L..." refers background in this paper
...This will, therefore, not counteract the imbalance between the two MOSFETs, unlike the case for switched applications with significantly higher VGS and negative temperature coefficients of ID (VGS) [24]....
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...source contacts, while maintaining the general properties of power MOSFETs [16], [24]....
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TL;DR: In this article, an extremum seeking (ES) controller that utilizes the natural inverter ripple is designed and tested on a simulated solar array with a grid-tied inverter.
Abstract: This study develops a maximum power point tracking algorithm that optimizes solar array performance and adapts to rapidly varying irradiance conditions. In particular, a novel extremum seeking (ES) controller that utilizes the natural inverter ripple is designed and tested on a simulated solar array with a grid-tied inverter. The new algorithm is benchmarked against the perturb and observe (PO) method using high-variance irradiance data gathered on a rooftop array experiment in Princeton, NJ. The ES controller achieves efficiencies exceeding 99% with transient rise-time to the maximum power point of less than 0.1 s. It is shown that voltage control is more stable than current control and allows for accurate tracking of faster irradiance transients. The limitations of current control are demonstrated in an example. Finally, the effect of capacitor size on the performance of ripple-based ES control is investigated.
330 citations