Comparison of different control methods for integrated system of MPPT powered PV module and STATCOM

Abstract

Distributed Generation source are widely used because of their remarkable advantages. This is in response to a number of global challenges and concerns, including climate change, increasing energy demand, and energy security. Photovoltaic (PV) cells which produce DC voltage in their output belong to these sources and should be connected to the network through a power electronic interface. The solar cell is modeled by using ‘one diode mode’. At the other hand, considering PV characteristics show that maximum power can be extracted at the optimal operating point which depends on the solar radiation as well as ambient temperature. The optimal operating point is thus deduced by employing a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm. In this work, PV module is connected to the DC side of STATCOM instead of a DC source. STATCOM basically contains a Voltage Source Inverter (VSI). A modified current-based MPPT algorithm is used to track the maximum power point. Using this system, PV module always works in its optimal operating point and moreover, STATCOM does its expected tasks such as harmonic elimination and reactive power compensation. Two control strategies for the STATCOM are investigated in this thesis. They are Synchronous Reference Frame(SRF) control strategy and control based on P-Q theory. THDs of both the compensated and uncompensated system were carried out using FFT analysis. The proposed system is modeled and the results are analysed using MATLAB/Simulink.