Simple and Fast Dynamic Photovoltaic Emulator based on a Physical Equivalent PV‐cell Model

Abstract

Abstract Photovoltaic emulators are a specific type of power electronics system to mimic the behaviour of a photovoltaic (PV) panel or array and facilitate the testing of energy systems. Existing solutions usually require sophisticated hardware design and fast computing. This paper presents a simple, reliable, and effective circuit‐based photovoltaic (PV) emulator based on the equivalent PV stacked cells. The PV emulator can be used for solar system testing and analysis, such as maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and partial shading effect. The I–V and P–V characteristic curves of the emulator have been generated by using an LTspice simulator. It is experimentally investigated and compared with a real PV panel and existing emulator products. The experiment results show good agreement with the mimicked actual PV panel. The proposed PV emulator shows a better dynamic response and shorter settling time than several benchmarked commercial products. The enhancement in the time response is due to the simplicity of the emulator, where a few power diodes and some resisters are used. In addition to simplicity, the PV emulator is very cost‐effective.

Keywords

• Photoelectric conversion; solar cells and arrays
• Power electronics, supply and supervisory circuits
• Resistors
• Power system management, operation and economics
• Solar power stations and photovoltaic power systems
• Power convertors and power supplies to apparatus