Performance Investigation of a PV Emulator Using Current Source and Diode String

Abstract

Energy emulator is a specific t ype o f p ower electronic system to mimic the electrical behavior of an energy source and facilitate the testing of energy system. This paper presents a study of a photovoltaic (PV) emulator which is formed by a current source, a diode string and some resistors. It is constructed according to the one-diode photovoltaic model. Unlike the previous study, this paper focuses on using the model equations to design the circuit parameters of the emulator to mimic a selected PV panel and evaluate the circuit performance from both electrical and thermal perspectives. A laboratory experimental setup is built and tested to verify the design. The emulator is power efficient a t t he m aximum p ower p oint. The highest power dissipation of the circuit occurs at the open-circuit voltage operating point.