Improvement of induction motor drive systems supplied by photovoltaic arrays with frequency control

The overall efficiency of an induction motor drive system, powered by a PV array, drops significantly when the insolation condition varies away from its nominal level. This problem can be overcame using a control method in which the frequency of the inverter´s PWM control signal is adjusted according to the insolation and temperature conditions. The motor speed, and therefore, the power delivered to the load, are adjusted by controlling the inverter´s frequency. This eliminates the mismatch between the maximum power that is available from the source and the power that is required by the load. Simulation results presented in this paper show that using the proposed control system allows the induction motor drive system to maintain its optimum efficiency and deliver consistently more power to the load when insolation and temperature vary from the nominal level. This method also offers an improvement in the system stability