Experimental studies and performance evaluation of solar PV powered BLDC motor drive with an integrated MPPT in fan applications

Power converters operating from solar PV array are typically operated in maximum power extraction mode, by the use of MPPT algorithms. Besides MPPT, buffering needs between PV and loads may require battery storage as well. Storage is expensive and also requires periodic maintenance and replacement. In this work, solar PV powered BLDC fans are developed without the use of storage and studied for their suitability in day time use like offices, schools, colleges. Two modes of operation are devised for operation of the fan- MPPT mode and Speed Regulation (SR) mode. In order to keep cost of the fan low, the optimal MPPT strategy to be used is determined from simulations. Hardware implementation is carried out to determine the actual operation of the system with respect to daily solar irradiation changes. From the experimental results it is seen energy efficient operation of BLDC motor drive, compared to single phase AC motor driven fan are achieved while keeping the scheme simple and cost low.