Photovoltaic Array Modelling and Boost-Converter Controller-Design for a 6kW Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System - DC Stage

Abstract

Grid-connected Photovoltaic (PV) systems have increased dramatically in the last few years due to the increased global interest in renewable energy sources and the growth in energy demand. Consequently, new and modern control strategies should be applied to improve the efficiency, reliability, and stability of grid-connected PV systems. To achieve this, the whole PV system should be tested under various weather and grid conditions. However, the wide variety of the PV system devices and control algorithms, in addition to the destructive nature of many types of scenarios and faults, make the practical testing of the PV system very difficult, very expensive, and impossible in many cases. Therefore, this paper utilizes the modelling and simulation tools of Matlab/Simulink to develop an accurate model for a grid-connected PV system-DC stage. The developed model implements all components of the grid-connected PV system at the DC side; these components are a PV array, a Boost converter, and a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller. Each component of the system is modelled, simulated and validated. Then the PV system is used to simulate many scenarios under various grid and weather conditions. The simulation results show that the model is reliable, stable and suitable for studying the grid-connected PV system.