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Improving the quality of energy in grid connected photovoltaic systems

Conference Paper · October 2013

DOI: 10.1109/ICoSC.2013.6750995

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 Improving the quality of energy in grid connected
photovoltaic systems
B. Boukezata1, A. Chaoui2, J.-P. Gaubert3 and M. Hachemi4

1 Departement d’elctrotechnique, Université de Sétif 1, Algeria

2 Laboratoire d’Electronique de Puissance et Commande Industrielle (LEPCI), Université de Sétif 1, Algeria

3 Laboratoire d’Informatique et d’Automatique pour les systèmes (LIAS-ENSIP), Université de Poitiers, France

4 Laboratoire d’Automatique de Sétif (L.A.S), Université de Sétif 1, Algeria

Abstract— This paper proposes the effective utilization of In this paper, a transformerless grid-connected
active power filter (APF) for interconnecting the PV modules to photovoltaic (PV) system with a direct power (active and
the grid using direct power control (DPC) method. Its main reactive) control algorithm is proposed. This system increases
feature is the capability to compensate the reactive power and the conversion efficiency (single stage PV system) and
harmonic currents drawn by nonlinear loads and operating as power supply as well as harmonic and reactive
simultaneously inject the maximum power available from the power compensator when the sun is available. At low
PV array into the grid. irradiation, the system operates only as harmonic and reactive
The reference current containing PV maximum power and power compensator (Active Power Filter-APF). The aim is
harmonic components is developed based on direct power that the system can operate as an inverter of distributed
control via an integral-proportional (IP) controller, exploiting generation or/and as a shunt APF independently or
optimal solar energy was extracted by an algorithm of simultaneously. In order to verify the proposed system, the
maximization MPPT is the INC-COND. The whole system PV system is simulated using Simpower of
(single stage converter) presents increased efficiency when Matlab/SimulinkTM.
compared to the conventional system. Simulation results on
MATLAB/Simulink of the proposed system have been done and II. DESCRIPTION OF THE GRID-CONNECTED PV SYSTEM
the obtained results prove the effectiveness of using a shunt
The system that has been simulated consists of a
active power filter as the interfacing unit for grid integrated
renewable energy system.
photovoltaic array connected through a DC bus to a three-
phase inverter that is connected to a grid through a simple
Keywords – Direct Power Control, Active Power Filter,
Photovoltaic system, MPPT filter and nonlinear load, as shown in Fig. [Link] MPP tracker
is integrated in the inverter control (Fig. 3), as there is a one
stage Grid connected PV system. The inverter is used to
I. INTRODUCTION transfer the power from PV module, it also assure the
compensation of the harmonic currents, reactive power and
Photovoltaic energy has great potential to supply energy
unbalanced current. The load is represented by three phase of
with minimum impact on the environment, since solar energy
rectifier with R L load.
is clean, pollution-free, negligible maintenance and zero
noise, air pollution and inexhaustible. With the decrease in the
price of PV modules and the increase in the price of
traditional petrochemical fuels for generation energy, the
photovoltaic systems are an excellent candidate to replace
other existing polluted energy sources [1-4].
The grid-connected PV system supplies the active power
from the PV array to the grid via an inverter. Today, non-
linear loads are widely used in residential and office
buildings. If the grid-connected PV system is applied directly
to non-linear loads, the power quality is relatively poor,
because of the active power supply by the PV array only. To
solve this problem, the grid-connected PV system should not
only provide active power to the system via MPPT, but also Figure 1. Three-phase grid connected to the PV module
improve the power quality (low THD and unity power factor)
[1, 5].
 III. PV ARRAY MODEL
The PV array used in the proposed system is MSX60 and
it is simulated using a model based on [5, 6]. In this model, a
PV cell is represented by a current source in parallel with a
diode and a series resistance as shown in Fig. 2(a). The basic
current equation is given in the following equation:

  qv  
I  I pv ,cell  I ,cell exp   1
 akT  
(1)

where is the current generated by the incident light
(directly proportional to sun irradiation), the leakage (b)
current of the diode, q the electron charge 1.60217646e10-19
C, k the Boltzmann constant, T the temperature of the PN
junction, and a is the diode ideality constant. But practically
the PV array comprised with many PV cells connected in
series and parallel connection. This makes some additional
parameters to be added with the basic Eq. (1). The modified
equation is shown in the following equations:

  V  Rs I   V  Rs I
I  I pv  I  exp    1  (2)
  Vt a   Rp

I pv   I pv ,n  K I T 
G
(3) (c)
Gn
Figure 2. (a) Equivalent circuit of a PV cell, (b) I-V characteristic, (c) P-V
A practical PV array consists of several connected PV characteristic
modules formed by Ns solar cells connected in series and
parallel. Therefore, (1) which presents a single PV cell should IV. INCREMENTAL CONDUCTANCE (INC-COND) MPPT
be amended into (4) to represent a PV array [7].
This algorithm uses the instantaneous conductance of the
  V  IRs  N ss N pp    PV module which is the current divided by the voltage ⁄ ,
I  N pp I pv  N pp I  exp    1 and the incremental conductance which is the variation of
  current divided by the variation of voltage ⁄ and
 Vt
aN ss   (4) compares them in order to obtain the MPP [8, 9].
V  IRs  N ss N pp  This method is based on the fact that the slope of the PV

R p  N ss N pp  array power curve (Fig. 2 c) is zero at the MPP, positive on
the left of the MPP, and negative on the right, as given by
Where:
dP dV  0 at MPP
is the number of PV modules connected in parallel.
dP dV 0 left of MPP (5)
is the number of PV modules connected in series.
The PV model is simulated using Solarex MSX60, 60W dP dV 0 right of MPP
PV module. The simulated I-V and P-V characteristics of the
Solarex PV module at standard test conditions are shown in Since

d  IV 
Fig. 2(b) and Fig. 2(c) respectively.
dP dI I
  I V  I V (6)
dV dV dV V

The main advantage of this algorithm is its fast power

tracking process but it might be unstable when the solar
intensity is low due to the low current differentiation [10].
The flow chart of incremental conductance algorithm is
shown in Fig. 3.

(a)
 ss  ps  jqs
ps  vsa  isa  vsb  isb  vsc  isc
(7)
1
qs   vsa  vsc  isa   vsc  vsa  isb   vsa  vsb  isc 
3

Figure 3. Inc-Cond algorithm

V. ACTIVE POWER FILTER

Active power filters (APF) are basically power electronic
devices that are used to compensate the current or voltage
harmonics and the reactive power flowing in the power grid Figure 5. Scheme of DPC with source voltage sensors
caused by a three-phase diode bridge rectifier load, followed
The digitized variables , and the line voltage vector
by an inductor in series with a resistor [11, 12]. The
APF may be used as a controlled current source and it has to position ( ⁄ ) form a digital word, which by
supply a current wave as close as possible to current accessing the address of lookup table selects the appropriate
reference. It consists of a full bridge voltage source pulse voltage vector according to the switching table. For this
width-modulation inverter, a dc-side capacitor and ac-side purpose, the stationary coordinates are divided into 12
sectors, as shown in Fig. 6, and the sectors can be numerically
high-frequency inductors that are required to shape the
expressed as:
compensator input currents .The basic compensation
principle of APF is explained in Fig. 4.  
 n  2  n   n  1 n  1, 2,...,12. (8)
6 6

5 4
3
6 t
v 2

7 v 
 v
1
8
12
9
10 11

Figure 6. Sectors on stationary coordinates

Figure 4. Three Shunt active power filter configuration The digitized error signals , and digitized voltage
phase are input to the switching table in which every
A. Direct Power Control switching state , and of the converter is stored, as
shown in Table 1. By using this switching table, the optimum
The bloc scheme in Fig. 5 gives the configuration of direct
switching state of the converter can be selected uniquely in
power control where the commands of reactive power (set to
every specific moment according to the combination of the
zero for unity power factor) and active power (delivered
digitized input signals. The selection of the optimum
from the outer integral-proportional (IP) DC voltage switching state is performed so that the power errors can be
controller) are compared with the calculated and values restricted within the hysteresis bands [11].
given by (7), in reactive and active power hysteresis
controllers, respectively.
 Table 1: The switching table.

dp dq θ1 θ2 θ3 θ4 θ5 θ6 θ7 θ8 θ9 θ10 θ11 θ12

1 0 v6 v7 v1 v0 v2 v7 v3 v0 v4 v7 v5 v0
1 v7 v7 v0 v0 v7 v7 v0 v0 v7 v7 v0 v0
0 0 v6 v1 v1 v2 v2 v6 v6 v4 v4 v5 v5 v6
1 v1 v2 v2 v6 v6 v4 v4 v5 v5 v6 v6 v1
(b)
VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
To evaluate the performance of the combined operation of
APF with PV generation system, the proposed control system
and the on-grid operation mode have been modeled and
simulated under Matlab/SimulinkTM and power system
blockset environment. The source current waveforms of the
simulation results have been analyzed to obtain their THD (c)
under varying climatic conditions, as shown in Fig. 7. An
irradiation ramp change was used. It starts from 0 W/m2,
stops at 1000 W/m2, waits at this level for 0.25 s, and
decreases again back to 200 W/m2. The temperature is
considered constant during the simulation.
Simulation results shows in first part between 0s to 0.4s in
Fig. 8 (b) that the active power filter (with null irradiation)
ensures grid power quality improvement and source current (d)
becomes quasi-sinusoidal with a THD of 1.08%. And from
0.4s to 1.2s it works with PV generator. The total harmonic
distortion becomes 1.40% (Fig. 9).
for t = 0.4s the irradiation (solar power and solar current
Fig. 8 (f, g)) increases with a constant slope causes a
reduction in source current amplitude and decrease of grid
active power Fig. 8 (h). In this case the flux of solar energy is
(e)
injected towards the network through the continuous bus of
APF, and ensures an optimal quality of energy in the same
time, then source current (active power) is stabilized with a
constant value until the decrease of irradiation, after that solar
energy decrease, power grid increases to compensate this
missing energy.
In Fig. 8 (a, c) show curves of source voltage and load
current under varying climatic conditions.
(f)

Figure 7. Irradiation profile

(g)

(a) (h)
Figure 8. (a, b) Voltage and current source, (c, d) Load and filter current,
(e) DC bus voltage, (f,g) Solar current and power and (h)Active and reactive
power source.
 We can see in Fig. 10 source, load and filter currents with VII. CONCLUSION
and without PV Generator at permanent mode. This paper presents a solar energy transformation chain
connected to the grid with the functionality of compensation
harmonics due to the nonlinear load. Management of energy
(active power and reactivate) using a direct power control
method has been made and the effectiveness of the algorithm
was proven.
INC-COND MPPT is chosen to maximize solar power
with minimum power fluctuation around the MPP compared
to P&O algorithm. Finally, the results show that the system
can correct the power factor to values close to unity, verify
the performance of the combined (540 W PV array) PV–APF
and the INC-COND MPPT method for all the cases tested.
(a)

VIII. REFERENCES

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(b) APF PV
Figure 10. Source, load and filter currents (a) off PV, (b) on PV

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