Photovoltaic Sources: Modeling and Emulation

Modeling of photovoltaic sources and their emulation by means of power electronic converters are challenging issues. The former is tied to the knowledge of the electrical behavior of the PV generator; the latter consists in its realization by a suitable power amplifier. This extensive introduction to the modeling of PV generators and their emulation by means of power electronic converters assists in understanding and improving design and setup of new PV plants.

The main benefit of reading Photovoltaic Sources is the ability to face the emulation of photovoltaic generators obtained by the design of suitable equipment, in which voltage and current are the same as in a real source. This is achieved according to the following: the source electrical behavior modeling and the power converter design (including its control) for the laboratory emulator. This approach allows the reader to cope with the creation of an indoor virtual photovoltaic plant, in which the environmental conditions can be imposed by the user, for testing real operation including maximum power point tracking, partial shading, control for the grid or load interfacing, etc.

The PV models, suitably identified, are implemented in MATLAB and Simulink, and simulation results are shown.