Low cost photovoltaic array emulator design for the test of PV grid-connected inverters

This paper presents a low cost photovoltaic array emulator design based on a DC-DC Boost converter. This design arises from the need to study in the laboratory new PV inverters based on SiC devices in order to improve their performances. The lack of space for installation of real photovoltaic panels and the high costs of the commercial emulators require of alternative systems which allow the reproduction of the characteristic curves of the panels as well as their dependence on changing environmental conditions. The emulator design is applied to a full-bridge single phase grid-connected inverter. Simulation results are provided to confirm the proper operation of the PV emulator.