Simulation model based control development of a multifunctional PV-inverter

Simulation tools are state of the art during development processes of inverters. In many cases simulation models have to be manually translated into adequate code for the target DSP or microcontroller. This translation is time consuming and translation faults could cause unexpected results. In this paper a development process for a new and multifunctional PV-inverter is presented that completely bases on simulation models in combination with automatic code generation and rapid control prototyping. Many renewable energy sources such as PV are using inverters as a grid interface. The utilization of PV systems is rather low in northern European countries and could be increased by implementation of additional functionality such as uninterruptible power supply, local power quality improvement or ancillary services. Some of this functionality is of particular interest for the operators of industrial plants. The development of new functionality could efficiently be done by using simulation tools. The implementation process into the target hardware may be accompanied by unexpected results due to restrictions of the controller hardware. This paper presents the development process of a multifunctional PV-inverter based on simulation models, automatic code generation and rapid control prototyping.