Solar PV Cell ,Tracking , Inverters

project guide- Major project group-

Ayush dixit (131113133)

DR. R.K.NEMA SIR Akhilesh singh(131113060)
Sanjay Singh(131113106)
Suman saurav(131113110)
Satish Kumar(131113097)
Rahul Kumar(131113118)
SOLAR PV CELL-

1.A
photovoltaic cell or photoelectric
cell is a semiconductor device that
converts light to electrical
energy by photovoltaic effect. If the
energy of photon of light is greater
than the band gap then
the electron is emitted and the flow
of electrons
creates current.
 Equivalent circuit of pv cell-
In this model we consider a current
source (I) along with a diode and series
resistance (Rs). The shunt resistance
(RSH) in parallel is very high, has a
negligible effect and can be neglected.
The output current from the
photovoltaic array is I=Isc Id
(1.1)
Id= Io (eqVd/kT - 1)
(1.2) where Io is the reverse
saturation current of the diode, q is the
electron charge, Vd is the voltage
across the diode, k is Boltzmann
constant (1.38 * 10-19 J/K) and T is the
junction temperature inKelvin (K)
I = Isc Io (eqVd/kT - 1)
_(1.3)
I-V & P-V characteristics of a
solar panel
Open circuit voltage, short circuit
current and maximum power
point-
1. Two important points of the
current-voltage characteristic must
be pointed out: the open
circuit voltage VOC and the short
circuit current ISC. At both points
the power generated is zero.
2. The maximum power is
generated by the solar cell at a
point of the current-voltage
characteristic where the product VI
is maximum. This point is known as
the MPP and is
Unique.
Solar Tracking
 Types of Tracking

Mechanical Tracking
Electrical Tracking
 Maximum Power Point Tracking

With the increasing demand of electrical energy from non- conventional

sources, photovoltaic (PV) technology has become quite popular. The initial
cost of PV arrays is very high, and thus it is important to drive the PV-fed
systems with utmost efficiency to make it a viable alternative to
conventional sources of energy. This objective is difficult to meet since the
power output of a PV source goes through a maximum only at a particular
operating voltage.

The perturb and observe method (P&O) - It senses the panel operating voltage
periodically calculates and compares the PV output power with that of the
previous power, then the operating voltage is changed by changing the duty ratio
and change in the direction of power is observed to track MPP. The sign of change
in power is used, if the power increases by increasing voltage then the operating
voltage is further perturbed in the same direction as shown this process continues
till dP/dV=0. As soon as the MPP is reached, the voltage oscillates around the MPP,
instead of being stably positioned
Fig: Perturb and Observe Method
If the value of P is zero, the system is working at MPP and no
change in duty cycle is required.
If the value of P>0 and V>0, the operating point is located on the
left of MPP and duty cycle is to be increased to increase the voltage
so as to reach MPP.
If the value of P>0 and V<0, the operating point is toward right
of MPP and duty cycle must be decreased to reach MPP.
If the value of P<0 and V<0, the operating point is towards left
of MPP and duty cycle is to be increased to reach MPP.
Incremental conductance method (INC) :

INC technique is widely used MPPT technique . The disadvantage of P&O method, of
oscillation of operating point around MPP during changing environmental conditions
can be eliminated in INC method by comparing the instantaneous panel conductance
dIpv/ Vpv with the incremental panel conductance (dIpv/dVpv). The voltage of MPP is
tracked to satisfy dPpv/dVpv=0, which is MPP. INC based algorithm is advantageous
over other conventional methods because it is easy to implement, high tracking speed
and better efficiency

Output power from solar panel is: Ppv= PV array output power
Ppv= Vpv Ipv (1)

Differentiating Eq. (1) with respect to Vpv gives

dPpv/dVpv= Ipv+ Vpv(dIpv /dVpv ) (2)

This equation is the basis of INC algorithm as shown in PV curve Fig. at MPP
dPpv /dVpv = 0
dIpv /dVpv = -Ipv /Vpv
If the operating point is on the right of the power curve then we have
dPpv /dVpv<0
If the operating point is on the left of the power curve then we have
dPpv /dVpv> 0
 If dVpv=0 and dIpv=0, then there is no change in atmospheric conditions and the
MPPT is still operating at MPP where dPpv/ dVpv=0, reference voltage is equal to
maximum voltage for this atmospheric condition and is not changed that is there is no
perturbation until a change in current is sensed.

If dVpv=0 and dIpv>0, if the amount of insolation increases, the PV power

increases raising the MPP voltage. This requires the MPPT to increase the operating
voltage to track the MPP as shown in fig.

On the other hand if dIpv<0, decrease in insolation lowers the PV power and also
lowering the MPP voltage and this requires the MPPT to decrease the PV array
operating voltage.

If dIpv/dVpv> - Ipv/Vpv, then dPpv /dVpv >0, and the PV array operating point is to
the left of the MPP on the PV curve. Thus, the PV panel voltage is to be increased
to reach the MPP.

Similarly, if dIpv /dVpv < -Ipv /Vpv, then dPpv/dVpv <0 and the PV panel operating
point lie to the right of the MPP on the PV curve and the voltage must be reduced
to reach the MPP.
NEED OF TRACKING :-
The energy requirement increases rapidly with the increase in population
and increase of standard of living. Presently conventional energy sources such as
fossil fuels and coal are being used extensively for power generation. But these
sources of energy are depleting and may be exhausted by the end of the century
or beginning of the next century. As a result development of renewable energy
sources such as wind energy , solar energy etc are necessary .
Efficiency of solar pv cell can be increase by either development of
new material or using different tracking methods.
Mechanical Tracking :-

The basic problem associated with the conversion of the solar energy into useful
form is that the solar modules used are stationery, so during the morning and
evening hours the sun rays fall at an angle upon the module. This decreases the
efficiency of the system as the duration of light falling perpendicular to the
module is very less. Thus the conversion efficiency of the solar energy into
useful form is not up to the mark. The main purpose of Mechanical tracking is to
increase the efficiency of the solar system to produce more electricity by
tracking the panel according to sun so as to sun rays fall perpendicularly on the
panels.
 Tracking of sun path
Intensity of solar rays falling at different angles
 Solar PV Inverter
Definition :
Solar inverters, convert the direct current (DC) electricity produced by solar PV panels
to alternating current (AC) electricity that can be used in home and exported back to
the grid.
Solar inverters are very efficient, usually 9396 per cent depending on the make and
model. Their efficiency can be improved by an electronic technique known as
Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT).

Inverter sizing:

There are many different sizes of inverters on the market. The key characteristics are:
maximum amount of DC electricity
maximum input voltage
initial input voltage
maximum power point (mpp) voltage rang

Types : String inverters

Central inverters
Microinverters
 String Inverters
Solar panels are installed in rows, each on a
string.String inverters have been around for a
long time and are good for installations without
shading issues and in which panels are
positioned on a single plane so do not face
different directions. If an installation uses string
inverters and even one panel is shaded for a
portion of the day reducing its performance, the
output of every panel on the string is reduced to
the struggling panels level. Though string
inverters arent able to deal with shading issues,
the technology is trusted and proven and they
are less expensive than systems with
microinverters. String inverters are commonly
used in residential and commercial applications.
Also, as technology improves allowing string
inverters to have greater power density in
smaller sizes,
string inverters are becoming a popular alternativ
e over central inverters in small utility installa
 Central Inverter
Central inverters are similar to string
inverters but they are much larger and
can support more strings of panels.
Instead of strings running directly to the
inverter, as with string models, the
strings are connected together in a
common combiner box that runs the DC
power to the central inverter where it is
converted to AC power. Central inverters
require fewer component connections,
but require a pad and combiner box.
They are best suited for large
installations with consistent production
across the array.
 Micro Inverters
Micro inverters are module-level electronics
so one isinstalled on each panel.Also,
because of the panel-level conversion, if
one or more panels are shaded or are
performing on a lower level than the others,
the performance of the remaining panels
wont be jeopardized. Micro inverters are
also monitor the performance of each
individual panel, while string inverters show
the performance of each string. This makes
micro inverters good for installations with
shading issues or with panels on multiple
planes facing various directions. Systems
with micro inverters can be more efficient,
but these often cost more than string
inverters.