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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ENERGY CONVERSION, VOL. 19, NO. 1, MARCH 2004

A Novel Real-Time Simulation Technique of Photovoltaic Generation Systems Using RTDS


Minwon Park, Student Member, IEEE, and In-Keun Yu, Member, IEEE
AbstractFor the performance test of photovoltaic (PV) generation systems, actual system apparatuses: a solar panel, converter system, and load facilities should be installed. It is also hardly possible to compare a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control scheme with others under the same weather and load conditions in an actual PV generation system. One of the possible alternatives is to realize a transient simulation scheme for PV generation systems under real weather conditions of insolation and surface temperature of solar cell. The authors propose a novel real-time simulation method for PV generation systems under real weather conditions using a real-time digital simulator (RTDS). curves of a real PV panel are tested using electric load device, and a hypothetical network of the tested PV panel is created on the RTDS by arranging electrical components from the customized component model libraries. The real weather conditions, insolation, and temperature of the PV panel, are interfaced through the analog input ports of the RTDS for real-time simulation. The outcomes of the simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed simulation technique, and also show that cost-effective verification of availability and stability of PV generation systems is possible using the built-in simulator. Index TermsMPPT control, photovoltaic generation systems, real-time simulation, renewable energy, RTDS, solar cell.

Shunt parasitic resistance of a PV module (in ohms). Across voltage of an ideal solar cell (in volts). Current of an ideal solar cell (in amps). Across voltage of an ideal PV module (in volts). Current of an ideal PV module (in amps). Number of series cell junctions of a PV module. Number of parallel cell junctions of a PV module. Across voltage of a PV module (in volts). Current of a PV module (in amps). Connected load (in ohms). I. INTRODUCTION ENEWABLE energy technologies are playing an increasingly important role in supplying the worlds electricity demands. In particular, the photovoltaic (PV) generation system, a promising source of energy for the future, is evolving rapidly and showing an industrial growth of approximately 40% per year worldwide [1]. This has resulted in an increased demand for knowledge of PV devices and system performances. From the system operational technology point of view, several important topics should be taken into consideration: i) the power output of PV systems is directly affected by real weather conditions, ii) an inverter system is necessary for the ac power supply, iii) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control is recommended to extract as much energy as possible. Generally, actual system apparatuses (e.g., a solar panel, converter system, and load facilities) should be installed in a particular location to test the performances of PV generation systems. It is also hardly possible to compare an MPPT control scheme with others under the same weather and load conditions in an actual PV generation system. One possible alternative is to realize a transient simulation scheme for PV generation systems under real weather conditions of insolation and surface temperature of a PV module. To this point, many researchers have been trying to develop reasonable simulation methods for PV generation systems. Since a curve-based solar cell model has been developed, a precise characteristic equation is being applied for the simulation. The simulation method is separated into the steady-state simulation and the transient one according to usage. In the case of the steady-state simulation in which the analysis goal is focused mainly on the economy evaluation or the design and size of a PV system [2][4], the sampling time is at least 10 min. [5], [6]. In order to evaluate a control scheme and to simulate the short-term performances of a PV system, however, the transient phenomena analysis is indispensable as reported in [7][9].

NOMENCLATURE Current flowing into load of a solar cell (in amps). Short-circuit current (in amps). Saturation current (in amps). Insolation ( ). Electron charge, 1.6 e19 (in Coulombs). Boltzman constant, 1.38 e23 (in Joules per Kelvin). PN junction temperature (in degrees Kelvin), (in degrees Celsius). Junction constant. Temperature constant. Temperature-dependency exponent. Energy gap (in electron volts). Across voltage of a solar cell (in volts) Open-circuit voltage of a solar cell (in volts). Series parasitic resistance of a solar cell (in ohms). Shunt parasitic resistance of a solar cell (in ohms). Series parasitic resistance of a PV module (in ohms).
Manuscript received May 10, 2001; revised February 20, 2002. This work was supported in part by Brain Korea 21 Project Corps at Changwon National University and in part by the Electrical Engineering and Science Research Institute Grant, 00-040, which is funded by Korea Electric Power Co. M. Park is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan (e-mail: paku@pels.pwr.-eng.osaka-u.ac.jp). I. K. Yu is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773, Korea (e-mail: yuik@sarim.changwon.ac.kr). Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TEC.2003.821837

0885-8969/04$20.00 2004 IEEE

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Fig. 1.

Conceptual diagram of the simulator for PV generation systems.

The analysis using EMTP types of simulatorsEMTP [10] and EMTDC [11]is well known to researchers whose papers [12][15] show the reasonable results of these analyses. Due to the utilization of the sampled weather conditions, which are not enough to simulate the transient phenomenon analysis, the simulation results may be far from real situations. A simulation using real weather conditions was recently reported [16]. There still exists, however, the drawback that the simulation analysis should be finished within the period of time during which the real weather conditions are sampled. A real-time simulator of PV modules that gives advantages for the simulation of different types and sizes of arrays under varying insolation and temperature using actual loads is also reported [17]. Since the simulator is based only on hardware, the flexibility of the system is limited. The authors propose a RTDS- [18] based flexible real-time simulator for PV generation systems. The RTDS is a combination of advanced computer hardware and comprehensive software. Power system networks are created on the RTDS by arranging electrical components from the customized component model libraries. Analog signals can be interfaced between the RTDS and the external equipments via analog input ports for real-time simulation. curves of a real PV panel are tested using electric load device, and a hypothetical network of the tested PV module is created on the RTDS by arranging electrical components from the model libraries. The real weather conditions, insolation, and temperature of the PV panel, are interfaced through the analog input ports of the RTDS for real-time operation of the simulator. The system allows the simulations of a real curve-based hypothetical PV module under different load and weather conditions, and different control schemes as well. The simulation results are discussed in detail and the outcomes of the simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed built-in simulator. II. SIMULATION FEATURES It is hardly possible to reproduce the actual weather conditions in the simulation tool of PV generation systems. Therefore, simulation reliability or stability is not guaranteed without

knowledge of external parameters of real weather conditions. In order to overcome the problems, the online real-time simulation of the PV generation systems under real weather conditions is achieved using the RTDS in this work. Fig. 1 shows the conceptual diagram of the real-time simulator for PV generation systems under real weather conditions. Tandem processor cards are utilized by the RTDS to maintain the required computation rates for real-time operation. The real weather data from the insolation and temperature sensors are interfaced to analog input ports of the RTDS through the optical isolation card (OIC) [19], which allows the RTDS user to interface the RTDS equipment with any type of analog signals safely. Fig. 2 shows the entire process of the proposed simulation method; the interface between the analog signals and the analog input ports of the RTDS via OIC. As shown in Fig. 2, users can flexibly and readily modify the sorts of solar cells, the size of the PV array, the power conversion system, the control schemes, and the utility power networks as well. A. Modeling of Solar Modules in the Simulation Equation (1) shows the characteristics equation of a solar cell [20], [21]. Equation (2) expresses the saturation current, and (3) is the ideal equation of a solar cell in which the parasitic resistance is not considered exp (1) exp exp (2) (3)

In this paper, a PV module is designed in the RTDS using PSCAD [18]. Fig. 3 shows the schematic diagram of the simulation for a PV module. Equation (3) is reconstructed as an ideal solar cell as shown in Fig. 3. The measured real weather conditionsinsolation and module surface temperatureand calcuare inserted into (3). obtained from lated from

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ENERGY CONVERSION, VOL. 19, NO. 1, MARCH 2004

Fig. 2. Simulation process and the interface between the analog signal and the RTDS.

Fig. 4. Reformation of the insolation data.

Fig. 3.

Schematic diagram of the PV module in the simulation.

is used as the voltage source level in the simulation. Due to the is delayed by one sampling above-mentioned process, time unit against the parameters and . The delay between and is, however, negligibly short against the cirand of the terminal A-B cuit response. Consequently, in Fig. 3 can be substituted to the output of a PV module in which the parasitic resistances are considered. Users can readily choose the sort of solar cells by changing the parameters and the and parallel rate of output power by modifying the series connections as desired. B. Reformation of the Insolation Data The measured insolation data may be distorted due to the response characteristic (speed) of the utilized actinometer as described in (4) (4) is the real insolation data, , for where, the actinometer used [22] in this paper, and is the measured insolation data. The reformation of the insolation data is shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4(b) is calculated by (4) using the measured insolation data shown in Fig. 4(a). III. SIMULATION PERFORMANCE A. Simulation of a PV Panel Connected To Resistance Load In order to confirm the real-time performances of the built-in simulator, a real curve-based hypothetical PV module is simulated. The cell parameters of the PV panel are described

Fig. 5.

Real-time weather conditions and the outputs of the PV panel. TABLE I CHARACTERISTIC PARAMETERS OF A CELL IN THE PV PANEL

TABLE II SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PV MODULE

in Table I, and the specifications of the PV module are given in Table II. The characteristic parameters of a solar cell and the specifications of the PV module can readily be modified as desired in this simulator. The simulation is performed two times for the loads of 35 and 40 , respectively. Fig. 5 illustrates the real-time weather conditions, the output voltage, and the current data obtained from the real-time simulator in the case of the 35- load. As shown in Fig. 5, the

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Fig. 6. Voltagecurrent curve for the load of 35


.

Fig. 7.

Voltagecurrent curve for the load of 40


.

PV system starts as a voltage source at first and changes to a PV panel some time later. As soon as the simulation starts, the output voltage and current curves show those of the voltage source of 11.2 V and 0.3 A of current, respectively. Changing to the PV panel mode, the output voltage and current ride on the voltagecurrent characteristic curve figured under the real weather conditions of that time. The users can freely set and modify the first value of voltage source and the switching time of the PV panel mode in the PSCAD. Fig. 6 shows the voltagecurrent curve of the PV module given by the real-time simulator. It clearly shows that the output voltage and current are precisely operated on the voltagecurrent characteristic curve figured by the real weather conditions under the PV panel mode started at 6.72 s. Fig. 7 illustrates the voltagecurrent curve of the PV module at 40 . It is observed from both Figs. 6 and 7 that the numerical characteristic curve under the real weather conditions and the plotted points coincide quite closely, which means that the simulation model is well achieved. B. Simulation of a PV Generation System The output characteristics of a PV module in which the output voltage is controlled using a converter system will be confirmed in this section. A hypothetical PV generation system using a dcdc converter is constructed in the proposed real-time simulator as shown in Fig. 8. The dcdc converter operates with constant voltage control [23], [24] of the output voltage. Table III describes the circuit parameters and the control conditions of Fig. 8. 1) Confirming the Operation of the PV Generation System: For the purpose of confirming that a dcdc converter controls the output voltage of the PV module as a reference, the hypothetical PV power generation systems using the dcdc converter are simulated in regular sequences as follows. After starting the simulation with a voltage source, initially the voltage source is switched to a PV panel mode. Then, the converter starts operating with constant PWM mode, whose duty ratio is constant at 50%. Lastly, the converter starts the constant voltage control to maintain the PV module output voltage of 15 V.

Fig. 8.

Diagram of the PV generation system with a dcdc converter.

TABLE III CIRCUIT PARAMETERS AND CONTROL CONDITIONS

Fig. 9 illustrates not only the time process of the simulation but also the real weather conditions during the simulation period. The input voltage and current of the converter obtained from the real-time simulator are depicted in the figure as well. The output data points on the voltagecurrent characteristic curve under real weather conditions are given in Fig. 10. During both the constant PWM mode and the constant voltage control mode, the output voltage and current of the PV module are precisely located on the voltage-current characteristic curve, which means that the hypothetical PV module in the real-time simulator operates normally with the power conversion system as well as the resistance load. 2) Analysis of the PV Generation System: The operation of the dcdc converter connected to the PV module is analyzed under the fluctuation of real weather conditions for 2 min. The converter maintains the constant voltage control of the output voltage of the PV module at 15 V.

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Fig. 12.

Output voltage and current curves for the 15 V of converter input.

Fig. 9.

Real weather conditions and the inputs of the dcdc converter in Fig. 8.

Fig. 13. Power-voltage points of the PV module for the constant voltage control of converter to 15 V.

Fig. 10.

Output data points under real weather conditions.

current of the PV module will change with the fluctuation of insolation as depicted in Fig. 12. Fig. 13 shows two power-voltage curves depicted using real weather conditions at the particular instants of 10 and 90 s in Fig. 12, respectively. The power-voltage points of the PV module for 2 min, including those two instants, are also illustrated in the figure. The output power of the PV module also varies in proportion to the fluctuation of insolation, which means that the proposed real-time simulator is being operated correctly with the power conversion equipment as well. IV. CONCLUSION The authors propose a RTDS-based flexible real-time simulator for PV generation systems. curves of a real PV panel are tested using electric load device, and a hypothetical network of the tested PV module is created on the RTDS by arranging electrical components from the model libraries. The real weather conditions, insolation, and temperature of the PV panel, are interfaced through the analog input ports of the RTDS for real-time operation of the simulator. The simulation results are discussed in detail and the outcomes of the simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed simulation technique. With the experiment of the hypothetical PV module connected to the resistance loads, the stable operation of the PV module in the RTDS is confirmed. The output voltage and current curves are precisely matched with the actual curve

Fig. 11.

Real weather conditions for the sudden fluctuation of insolation.

Fig. 11 shows the real weather conditions in which the insolations suddenly change. Judging from Fig. 11, if the output voltage of the PV module is constantly maintained at the reference voltage due to the converter control, it is expected that the output current of the PV module also fluctuates in proportion to the variations of insolation. Fig. 12 shows the output voltage and current curves of the PV module when the converter maintains the input voltage at 15 V. There is no doubt that the output

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under real weather conditions. The availability of the proposed real-time simulation technique for the PV panel connected to a dcdc converter is also proven through the constant voltage control of the converter. The proposed system gave satisfactory results that the real-time operation of the PV module was normal with the power conversion system. Consequently, cost-effective verification of the availability and stability of a PV generation system under different load and weather conditions, and different control schemes are the major advantages of the proposed simulator. Various operational performance tests on both the stand-alone and the grid-connected PV generation systems can be effectively performed using the proposed built-in simulator. REFERENCES
[1] R. Messenger and J. Ventre, Photovoltaic System Engineering. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 2000. [2] M. G. Jaboori, M. M. Saied, and A. A. R. Hanafy, A contribution to the simulation and design optimization of photovoltaic systems, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 6, pp. 401406, Sept. 1991. [3] B. S. Borowy and Z. M. Salameh, Methodology for optimally sizing the combination of a battery bank and PV array in a wind/PV hybrid system, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 11, pp. 367373, June 1996. [4] M. Muselli, G. Notton, P. Poggi, and A. Louche, PV-hybrid power systems sizing incorporating battery storage: An analysis via simulation calculations, Renewable Energy, vol. 20, pp. 17, 2000. [5] S. Rahman and K.-S. Tam, A feasibility study of photovoltaic-fuel cell hybrid energy system, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 3, pp. 5055, Mar. 1988. [6] F. Giraud and Z. M. Salameh, Steady-state performance of a grid-connected rooftop hybrid wind-photovoltaic power system with battery storage, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 16, pp. 17, Mar. 2001. [7] K. Takahara and T. Matsuda, An adaptive control method for maximum power tracking of photovoltaic power generator, Trans. Inst. Electr. Eng. Jpn., vol. 118-D, pp. 810811, 1998. [8] K. Ro and S. Rahman, Two-loop controller for maximizing performance of a grid-connected photovoltaic-fuel cell hybrid power plant, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 13, pp. 276281, Sept. 1998. [9] M. Calais and H. Hinz, A ripple-based maximum power point tracking algorithm for a single-phase, grid-connected photovoltaic system, Sol. Energy, vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 277282, 1998. [10] EMTP Rule Book. Portland, OR: Bonneville Power Admin. [11] PSCAD/EMTDC Power System Simulation Software Manual: Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, 1995. [12] K.-S. Tam, P. Kumar, and M. Foreman, Enhancing the utilization of photovoltaic power generation by superconductive magnetic energy storage, IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 4, pp. 314321, Sept. 1989. [13] R. Naik, N. Mohan, M. Rogers, and A. Bulawka, A novel grid interface, optimized for utility-scale applications of photovoltaic, wind-electric, and fuel-cell systems, IEEE Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 10, pp. 19201926, Oct. 1995. [14] H. Kobayashi, K. Takigawa, and A. Kitamura, Islanding prevention technique by the active/passive series method applied to PV power generation systems interconnected to the grid with high density, Trans. Inst. Electr. Eng. Jpn., vol. 120-B, no. 3, pp. 433440, 2000.

[15] H.-S. Kim, N. Okada, and K. Takigawa, Advanced grid connected PV system with functions to suppress disturbance by PV output variation and customer load change, Sol. Energy Materials Sol. Cells, vol. 67, pp. 559569, 2001. [16] M. Park, K. Matsuura, and M. Michihira, A novel simulation method of PV cell using field data, Trans. Inst. Electr. Eng. Jpn., vol. 121-B, no. 2, pp. 262263, 2001. [17] K. Khouzam and K. Hoffman, Real-time simulation of photovoltaic modules, Sol. Energy, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 521526, 1996. [18] RTDS Manual: Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, 1995. [19] Optical Isolation Card Users Manual: Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, 1995. [20] M. A. Green, Solar Cells Operating Principles, Technology, and System Applications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. [21] A. Iga, Construction and application of I-V curves using voltagecurrent characteristic equations under irradiated conditions of photovoltaic cells, Trans. Inst. Electr. Eng. Jpn., vol. 116-D, no. 10, pp. 10011009, 1996. [22] Actinometer MS-601, 601F Users Manual: EKO Instruments Trading Co., Ltd., 1998. [23] J. Chou, Y. Makino, Y. Hukuda, A. Danaka, and E. Taniguchi, A study on the constant voltage control of photo-voltaic generation, Proc. Nat. Conv. Rec. Inst. Elect. Eng. J., vol. 588, no. 5, pp. 161162, 1993. [24] M. J. Case and J. J. Schoeman, A minimum component photovoltaic array maximum power point tracker, Vector on Automation Products and Systems, pp. 811, June 1999.

Minwon Park (S01) was born in Masan, Korea, in 1970. He received the Bachelors degree in electrical engineering from Changwon National University, Changwon, Korea, in 1997, and the Masters degree in electrical engineering from Osaka University, Osaka, Japan, in 2000. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree at Osaka University. His research mainly deals with dispersed generation systems and associated control theories. He is also interested in the high-frequency ac link dcac converters and the development of simulation models of power conversion equipment and renewable energy sources using EMTP-type simulators.

In-Keun Yu (M88) was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1954. He received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea, in 1981 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea, in 1983 and 1986, respectively. Currently, he is a Full Professor and Dean of the College of Engineering at Changwon National University, where he has been since 1988. From 1985 to 1988, he was with the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Changwon, Korea. From 1996 to 1998, he was a Visiting Scholar at Brunel University, Middlesex, U.K. Also, he was a Postdoctoral fellow at the Energy Systems Research Center (ESRC) at the University of Texas at Arlington from 1990 to 1992. His interests include wavelet transform applications, electric energy storage and control systems, peak load management and energy saving systems, PSCAD/EMTDC and RTDS simulation studies, and renewable energy sources.

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