Title :
A simplified nonlinear power source for simulating PV panels
Author :
Lopes, Luiz A C ; Lienhardt, Anne-Marie
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Concordia Univ., Montreal, Que., Canada
Abstract :
Power electronic converters play a major role in the efficiency and reliability of photovoltaic (PV) systems. The development of power conditioning equipment for operation at the maximum power point and for utility interfacing usually requires solar array simulators (SAS) that are relatively expensive. This paper presents a simple nonlinear power source based on a PWM switched resistor that can be used for preliminary evaluations of power conditioning equipment for PV systems. It presents V×I characteristics similar to those of PV panels and also allows the variation of the solar irradiation level. The operating principles are discussed, design equations are derived and experimental results are presented for a 75 Wp PV panel simulator.
Keywords :
photovoltaic power systems; power convertors; pulse width modulation; simulation; solar cell arrays; PWM switched resistor; V×I characteristics; design equations; nonlinear power source; photovoltaic systems; power conditioning equipment; power electronic converters; simulating PV panels; solar array simulators; solar irradiation level; utility interfacing; Circuits; Costs; Photovoltaic systems; Power electronics; Power supplies; Power system reliability; Pulse width modulation; Resistors; Solar power generation; Voltage control;
Conference_Titel :
Power Electronics Specialist Conference, 2003. PESC '03. 2003 IEEE 34th Annual
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7754-0
DOI :
10.1109/PESC.2003.1217717
