Photovoltaic Grid-connected Inverter Research Articles

Control Method for Three-Phase Grid-Connected Inverter PV System Employing Unity Power Factor (UPF) Strategy in Microgrid

Microgrids (MGs) are developing owing to the rapidly growing distributed power generation systems. The MG controls the flexibility of the network to ensure the requirements of reliability and power quality are satisfied. A typical MG normally consists of dispersed generation resources, which are connected by power electronic inverters, storages, and non-linear loads. This study deals with a compensation control method of a photovoltaic grid-connected inverter using unity power factor (UPF) strategy in MG. In this case, the proposed control method can provide output currents without distortion and with the UPF. Further, it is able to increase the inverter output current to approximately 19 times of the value obtained conventionally. The proposed control method can be applied to three-phase grid interfaced converters such as DG inverters and can also be easily integrated into the conventional control scheme without installation of extra hardware. A theoretical analysis is presented and the performance of the proposed control method for a grid-connected inverter in a MG is evaluated through simulation results.

Analysis on topology derivation of single-phase transformerless photovoltaic grid-connect inverters

Aiming at the leakage current problem of single-phase transformerless photovoltaic(PV) grid-connected inverters, the recent proposed topologies are classified and reviewed. These topologies are divided into half-bridge type and full-bridge type. The topology characteristics of transformerless PV inverter are analyzed. This paper presents some of transformerless PV inverter topologies and discusses the evolution laws among various topologies to clarify the interrelationship between them. Furthermore, according to the evolution laws, a new topology is proposed. Finally, Simulations and experiments compare leakage current suppression capability of the proposed topology, H5 topology and HERIC topology.

Design and analysis of improved ADRC controller for multiple grid-connected photovoltaic inverters

When multiple inverters are connected to the grid, due to the uncertainty of the internal model and the presence of external disturbances, the grid-connected current waveform will deviate from the expectation. In this paper, Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) strategy is presented to suppress the internal and external perturbations, moreover, the first-order ADRC parameters are designed. Finally, MATLAB/Simulink is utilized to verify the control strategy of ADRC. The simulation results demonstrate that the ADRC method can suppress the disturbance effectively.

Voltage regulation strategy of AC distribution network based on distributed PV grid‐connected inverter

The distribution network connected with photovoltaic (PV) power generation may show high voltage under strong light and low voltage under weak light. The influence of distributed PV generation on the grid voltage profile is analysed first, and then, the sensitivity of the grid voltage to the PV inverter output power is deduced. Aiming at overhead line distribution network, the local voltage regulation strategy based on the power control of the grid-connected PV inverter is proposed. The PV inverter works under the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) mode with unity power factor when the grid voltage is at the normal level. However, when the voltage is higher than its upper limit, the grid-connected PV inverter will be co-ordinately controlled to output limited active power and necessary reactive power to restrain the line voltage. Also, when the voltage is below than the lower limit, only the reactive power of the grid-connected PV inverter was controlled to sustain the line voltage, and the reactive power is no more than the residual capacity of the grid-connected PV inverter operated in the MPPT mode. Simulation and results show that the voltage quality of the distribution network with PV generation is improved by using the voltage regulation strategy presented in this study.

REALIZING A SINGLE-STAGE HYBRID PV SYSTEM USING BATTERY CURRENTSHARING POWER DECOUPLING METHOD

Conventionally, the single-stage grid-connected PV inverter needs a large PV-side electrolytic capacitor to suppress the doubleline frequency current ripple to keep the PV operating at maximum power point (MPP). However, the short lifetime electrolytic capacitor will reduce the PV inverter’s reliability dramatically. In order to overcome the above problem, a novel battery currentsharing power decoupling (BCSPD) method for hybrid photovoltaic (PV) power systems is proposed in this paper. The proposed BCSPD circuit is parallel-connected with the string PV module to achieve as a single-stage topology. Thus, a high power conversation efficiency can be obtained. The current-injection method is adapted to solve the current ripple problem. Therefore, the required capacitance in PV side can be greatly reduced, so long-life film capacitors can be used instead of electrolytic capacitors. In addition, the battery storage system with the droop control is also used to realize the power regulation function to meet the requirements of actual applications. A 1200 W prototype was designed and implemented to assess the system performance. Experimental results show that the proposed system can track MPP, regulate the load power condition, and reduce current ripple.

Research on the strategy of cooperative control between photovoltaic grid‐connected and reactive power compensation technology

When connecting a large number of generating sets into power grid, there will be the harmonic wave generated in power grid causing voltage and current distortion, which affects power quality seriously. Based on the instantaneous reactive power theory, the active current, reactive current and harmonic current can be real-time monitored. The P–Q method can be adopted to control reactive power compensation. By building the converter control model, the variation of reactive power of power grid between photovoltaic grid-connected inverter working under stand-alone mode and grid-connected mode can be analysed via a simulation system. The experimental analysis of reactive power compensation and harmonic suppression, the availability of the control strategy of the photovoltaic grid-connected inverter system can be proved. Using this novel strategy, the photovoltaic grid-connected power system can not only provide active power but also compensate reactive power and suppress harmonic, which will improve power quality.

An intelligent dc current minimization method for transformerless grid-connected photovoltaic inverters

Due to the scaling and zero-drift of current sensor errors, unbalanced grid voltages, tolerance of power switching devices, and asymmetry of PWM gate driving pulses, transformerless grid-connected inverters usually have certain amount of dc components injected to the ac grid. Therefore, power quality of the grid is degraded. Many efforts, such as using blocking capacitors, a dc current feedback control method, and a voltage dc component feedback control method, etc., have been introduced to minimize the dc injection. This paper proposes an intelligent control strategy of dc current injection suppression to the grid by utilizing adaptive-back-propagation (ABP) neural network PID controller. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated and compared with the traditional and existing method. Finally, the control scheme is verified on a 2-kW three-phase grid-connected inverter in the laboratory.

Research on No-affected Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverter by the Inductance Value

In order to solve the low adaptability problem of the common-mode voltage of the existing Non-isolated Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverter with H6-type (NPGCI-H6) is affected by the inductance matching factors and causes a large common-mode leakage current. Based on the idea of the parallel bypass switch on grid-connected filter inductor, this article put forward a no-affected photovoltaic grid-connected inverter by the inductance value (NPGCI-IV) circuit that is not affected by the inductance value matching and analyzed its operating modes and control methods. At the same time, this article designed a hysteresis current controller which is suitable for NPGCI-IV. Finally, the article studied the proposed photovoltaic grid-connected inverter circuit that is not affected by inductance matching and its control methods. The results showed the correctness of the proposed circuit and its control methods.

A New Soft-Switching Configuration and Its Application in Transformerless Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverters

Soft-switching techniques of transformerless photovoltaic grid-connected inverters (TLIs) can significantly reduce switching losses, as well as soften switching processes. Conventional dc–ac soft-switching configurations proposed by Dr. Deepakraj M. Divan are invalid in TLIs because of the leakage current problem. In order to develop soft-switching techniques in TLIs, this paper proposes a new soft-switching configuration and a procedure to guide the invention of soft-switching TLIs. First, this paper proposes two basic resonance tanks related to dc bus polarities, and then, uses these basic tanks to elevate four popular full-bridge-type TLIs according to the proposed guideline. As a result, four soft-switching TLIs are gained. Second, this paper picks obtained soft-switching highly efficient and reliable inverter concept (HERIC) as example to analyze its soft-switching operation principle and performance. As a consequence, all active switches of the gained soft-switching HERIC circuit are switched under both of zero-current turn- on and turn- off conditions; the reverse recovery problem of freewheeling diodes is alleviated owing to the zero-current turn- off of diodes; meanwhile, the common-mode voltage at the switching frequency scale is still constant. Finally, some experimental results from a 3-kW universal prototype at 50-kHz switching frequency are provided to verify the effectiveness of the main contributions of this paper.

Modeling and Simulation of Photovoltaic Grid-connected Inverter

Based on the topology of diode clamped three-level inverter, this paper introduces the working principle and control method of the inverter. This paper focuses on the midpoint potential balance problem and PWM control method of Diode-clamped three-level inverter and the SVPWM control method developed thereby. In this paper, the analysis of inverter topology and control method is focused on the maximum power point tracking problem and phase-locked loop problem in photovoltaic grid-connected process. This paper proposes a complete system for photovoltaic grid connection using inverters. At the end of this paper, the results of simulation and analysis of the system using computer software are given.

A Hybrid Synchronization Controller for a Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Inverter with a High Inductive Load

With the ongoing extension of electricity networks, traditional power systems have become increasingly incapable of meeting increased power demands. As a source that is available all year round, solar energy offers to be a promising renewable energy resource for power generation in Iraq. In this paper, a hybrid synchronization controller (HSC) based on the orthogonal method for the generation of reference control signals with PI controllers is used. The proposed HSC is designed for a single-phase photovoltaic (PV) inverter with LC filters for the supply of high-inductive load; it aims to provide (i) stable active power under variations of solar irradiance levels and (ii) low reactive power under the variation of inductive loads. The purpose of the former is to avoid overloading of the PV panels whilst the latter aims to correct the power factor at the PV inverter. A simulation was implemented in a MATLAB-Simulink-environment for the HSC, and the results demonstrated that HSC showed improved performance in terms of maximum active power transfer and power factor correction on the PV-inverter side.

An H5 Transformerless Inverter for Grid Connected PV Systems with Improved Utilization Factor and a Simple Maximum Power Point Algorithm

Due to their small size, minimum cost, and great efficiency, photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected transformerless inverters have been developed and become famous around the world in distributed PV generators systems. One of the most efficient topologies of the transformerless inverter family is H5 topology. This inverter extracts a discontinuous current from the PV panel, which conflicts with the operation at maximum power point tracking (MPPT) conditions while the utilization factor of the PV degrades. This paper proposes improved H5 topology featuring a boost converter inserted in the middle between the PV panels and the H5 inverter. The design of the boost converter is planned to operate at continuous conduction mode to guarantee MPPT conditions of the PV. A new and simple off line MPPT algorithm is introduced and performance factors like efficiency and utilization factors of the proposed and convention H5 topology are compared. The simulation results indicate that the proposed system provides a preferable utilization factor and a simpler MPPT algorithm.

Integrated DC–DC Converter Based Grid-Connected Transformerless Photovoltaic Inverter With Extended Input Voltage Range

Owing to low cost, small size, and low weight, transformerless inverters became prominent in single-phase grid connected photovoltaic (PV) systems. Key issues pertaining to these inverters include suppression of common mode (CM) leakage current and improvement of conversion efficiency. Achieving higher efficiency in single-phase grid-connected photovoltaic systems depends on the number of stages involved in feeding power to the grid, predominantly, if the PV array voltage is less than the peak value of the grid voltage. In this paper, an integrated dc–dc converter based grid-connected transformerless PV inverter is proposed which is aimed at maintaining high efficiency, even if the PV array voltage falls below the peak value of grid voltage (efficient operation at an extended input voltage range). A modulation strategy is discussed in order to minimize the flow of CM leakage current. Further, the efficiencies of certain transformerless inverter topologies are analyzed and compared with that of the proposed topology. Detailed simulation studies are carried out in MATLAB/Simulink environment to verify the analysis. Experimental results for a scaled down laboratory prototype are included as a proof-of-concept to validate the claims.

Adaptive Intelligent Sliding Mode Control of a Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverter

Adaptive intelligent sliding mode control methods are developed for a single-phase photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected transformerless system with a boost chopper and a DC-AC inverter. A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method is implemented in the boost part in order to extract the maximum power from the PV array. A global fast terminal sliding control (GFTSMC) strategy is developed for an H-bridge inverter to make the tracking error between a grid reference voltage and the output voltage of the inverter converge to zero in a finite time. A fuzzy-neural-network (FNN) is used to estimate the system uncertainties. Intelligent methods, such as an adaptive fuzzy integral sliding controller and a fuzzy approximator, are employed to control the DC-AC inverter and approach the upper bound of the system nonlinearities, achieving reliable grid-connection, small voltage tracking error, and strong robustness to environmental variations. Simulation with a grid-connected PV inverter model is implemented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Online Grid-Impedance Measurement Using Ternary-Sequence Injection

Grid impedance affects the stability and control performance of grid-connected power-electronics devices, such as inverters, used to integrate wind and solar energy. Adaptive control of such inverters, to guarantee stability under different grid conditions, requires online measurement of the grid impedance performed in real time. Wideband frequency-response-measurement techniques based on the pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) or impulse injection have been often applied for grid-impedance measurements. However, while using the PRBS or impulse, it is assumed that the system under study is linear. Because such an assumption does not typically hold for grid-connected systems, the measured impedances are usually prone to distortions caused by nonlinearities. This paper proposes the use of periodic ternary sequences for online grid-impedance measurements. Using appropriately designed periodic ternary signals, the linear component of the grid impedance can be identified, eliminating errors from even-order nonlinear distortions. In addition, the ternary sequences can be designed for a much wider range of sequence length compared to the conventional PRBS, enabling more efficient optimization of computing power and frequency resolution. Experimental measurements are shown from a grid-connected photovoltaic inverter.

A Reliable Three-Phase Transformerless Grid-Connected PV Inverter With Inductive DC Link

In this paper, a modified buck–boost grid-connected three-phase photovoltaic inverter is presented. In the structure of inverter, an inductive dc link is used between the input and output. The merits of the employed inverter are soft switching and step-up/down conversion without any additional power converter stage. It is a transformerless inverter with no leakage current issue. Moreover, as a result of increased switching frequency, it offers output current total harmonic distortion within standard limits. It uses only one current sensor and there is no electrolytic capacitor in it, which leads to high reliability. The operating principle is thoroughly explained and a simple control strategy with a new maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is proposed. The simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the behavior of a modified inverter, its control strategy, and the MPPT method.

Adaptive perturb and observe maximum power point tracking with current predictive and decoupled power control for grid-connected photovoltaic inverters

In order to improve maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance, a variable and adaptive perturb and observe (P&O) method with current predictive control is proposed. This is applied in three-phase three-level neutral-point clamped (NPC) photovoltaic (PV) generation systems. To control the active power and the reactive power independently, the decoupled power control combined with a space vector modulation block is adopted for three-phase NPC inverters in PV generation systems. To balance the neutral-point voltage of the three-phase NPC grid-connected inverter, a proportional and integral control by adjusting the dwell time of small voltage vectors is used. A three-phase NPC inverter rated at 12 kVA was established. The performance of the proposed method was tested and compared with the fixed perturbation MPPT algorithm under different conditions. Experimental results confirm the feasibility and advantages of the proposed method.

UDE-based current control of grid-connected photovoltaic inverters

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to improve the control performance of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) inverters with inductive-capacitive-inductive (LCL) filters by proposing a new robust current control based on uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE).Design/methodology/approachThe control strategy combines the capacitor current feedback with a UDE-based control to solve robust stability issues in the presence of parametric uncertainties and disturbances.FindingsThis paper provides guidelines for tuning the controller parameters where it is shown to be easy to implement by simply selecting the appropriate feedback coefficient, the reference model and an approximate lumped disturbance bandwidth. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller in terms of resonance damping, tracking performance and robust stability under grid uncertainties and disturbances.Practical implicationsThis paper offers a new approach for designing implementable robust controllers for LCL-filtered grid-connected PV inverters.Originality/valueA new UDE-based current control is proposed to improve the stability performance of grid-connected PV inverters. The advantages of UDE-based control are its simple structure, easy tuning and robustness under parameter uncertainties and disturbances. Simulation and experimental results support the theoretical findings.

Flexible Control of Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Cascaded H-Bridge Converters During Unbalanced Voltage Sags

Multilevel cascade H-bridge (CHB) converters are one of the promising solutions for medium- and large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power plants. However, there is a lack of a complete study about their operation during voltage sags. This paper proposes a flexible control strategy for the operation of photovoltaic grid-connected CHB inverters during unbalanced voltage sags. The key novelty is that the proposed strategy is able to inject both active and reactive powers to the grid with either balanced or unbalanced currents, while ensuring that all dc-link capacitor voltages remain balanced. The simulation and experimental evaluations of a 9-kVA grid-connected seven-level CHB illustrate and validate the performance of the proposed strategy for the operation of the grid-connected CHB converter during different unbalanced voltage sags.

Perturbation observer based fractional-order sliding-mode controller for MPPT of grid-connected PV inverters: Design and real-time implementation

In this paper, a robust/adaptive perturbation observer based fractional-order sliding-mode controller (POFO-SMC) is designed for a photovoltaic (PV) inverter connected to the power grid, in which a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) based on variable step size incremental conductance (INC) technique is achieved to harvest the available maximum solar energy from the PV arrays in the presence of various atmospheric conditions. A nonlinear extended state observer (ESO), called sliding-mode state and perturbation observer (SMSPO), is used to efficiently estimate the aggregated effect of PV inverter nonlinearities and parameter uncertainties, unmodelled dynamics, stochastic fluctuation of atmospheric conditions, and external disturbances. Then, a fractional-order sliding-mode controller (FOSMC) is designed to considerably enhance the system robustness via real-time perturbation compensation and to noticeably accelerate the tracking rate compared to the traditional integer-order sliding-mode control (SMC) through employing a fractional-order proportional–derivative (FOPD) sliding surface. In addition, more reasonable control efforts could be realized since the upper bound of perturbation is replaced by its real-time estimate, such that the inherent over-conservativeness of conventional SMC can be effectively reduced. Four case studies are carried out under Matlab/Simulink environment. Simulation results verify the effectiveness and superiority of POFO-SMC compared to that of proportional–integral (PI) control, feedback linearization control (FLC), SMC, robust SMC (RSMC), and FOSMC. Finally, a dSpace based hardware-in-loop (HIL) experiment is undertaken for the purpose of implementation feasibility validation.