A simple control strategy and dynamic energy management for the operation of combined grid-connected and standalone solar photovoltaic applications

Abstract

There is an increased focus on energy savings in low-voltage DC (LVDC) loads for home appliances. The use of LVDC for the local distribution system enables easier integration with renewable sources. This work presents the control and management of power flow to DC loads in grid-tied photovoltaic (GPV) systems. This system provides bi-directional flow of power from the DC load to the AC grid, using a pulse width modulation (PWM) technique, employing a voltage source inverter between the DC nano grid and the AC main grid. The bidirectional converter controls the active power transferred in both directions while operating at unity power factor (UPF). The modified three-level hysteresis current controller and the voltage controller are designed as the inner loop and the outer loop, respectively, to control the bi-directional power flow. The corresponding grid voltages and currents are used to generate the reference currents. The proposed system has been validated through MATLAB/Simulink simulations and experimentation on a prototype system developed in the laboratory controlled by the dSPACE 1103 real-time digital controller board. The results show that a regulated DC voltage is obtained for dynamic changes of source and load like in a real-time environment. The control strategy with its validation shows the efficacy of the proposed system.