A New PV Source Emulator based on Modified Hybrid Referencing Technique with Nonlinear Lyapunov Controller

Abstract

This work proposes a new design and development of photovoltaic (PV) array emulator, which is highly requested in laboratories and manufacturers where the need of testing the proper functioning of PV systems and devices has increased, this solar emulator can replicate faithfully the PV characteristics without using real PV modules. The new developed system is based on a simplified hybrid control strategy of referencing in order to ensure high accuracy and speed compared to many existing PV emulators that suffer from poor dynamic response and inaccuracy in some particular zones of the PV current-voltage characteristic. This novel control strategy is endowed with a nonlinear Lyapunov based controller so that the closed-loop of the overall system remains asymptotically stable for any operating point and mode transition of the DC-DC buck converter regardless of the load variation and weather parameters change. Simulations results using SimPower Matlab Simulink software are given and well-analyzed so as to highlight the performances of the proposed system and its improvement compared to the existing solutions.