A Comprehensive Control Strategy for a Push–Pull Microinverter Connected to the Grid

Abstract

The effects of partial shading or dust accumulation on the panels of photovoltaic systems connected to the grid can generate a considerable reduction in energy performance, being necessary to provide the appropriate voltage to the grid regardless of the irradiance level. This paper addresses this problem and presents a comprehensive control strategy and its implementation for a grid-connected microinverter composed of a push–pull converter followed by an H-bridge inverter. In the push–pull converter, a hybrid MPPT algorithm and a PI control enable work in the MPP of the PV panel. In the H-bridge inverter, a cascade control consisting of a PI control and a predictive control allows the connection to the grid. A proof-of-concept prototype is implemented in order to validate the proposal. Experimental tests were performed by connecting the microinverter to a PV panel and a programmable photovoltaic panel emulator to check the MPPT performance. Furthermore, partial shading conditions were simulated on the dc source to check if the global maximum power point is reached. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the topology and the control approach, obtaining MPPT performance in the topology above 99% at different power and voltage levels on the MPPT, even in the presence of partial shading conditions.