Development low-cost processor for photovoltaic simulator

Abstract

The power generated by a PV array is affected by several factors such as the intensity of solar radiation, the temperature, and the shade cast by solar radiation on the solar panels’ surface. In order to provide the maximum electrical power, it is important to understand the characteristics of a PV system. In this paper, a simulator to observe the characteristics of solar panels is modeled and designed by utilizing tungsten-halogen lamps as a lighting source. The use of halogen lamps ensures that the solar panels’ output signal does not have a large ripple. It differs from other lamps, such as LEDs, which can generate greater ripples in solar panel output signals. Voltage sensors and current sensors are used to obtain the desired values of voltage and current parameters. The characteristics of solar panels with different combinations of lighting can be observed using a Personal Computer (PC) both in the form of tables and graphics with the help of the Parallax Data Acquisition tool (PLX-DAQ). According to the results of the test, the simulator can operate properly, and the measured parameter value can be monitored in realtime in the form of current and voltage graphs.