Research on a Novel Digital Photovoltaic Array Simulator

In order to make the design and optimization of solar energy systems convenient, it is very essential to choose the suitable engineering mathematic model of solar cells. A convenient and practicable engineering mathematic model of silicon solar cell is offered in this paper, which is based on photovoltaic array output I-U characteristic curve. Piecewise curve fitting method is also presented to simulate the photovoltaic array characteristic curves. A new digital photovoltaic array simulator with Buck converter is designed in detail. The designed simulator uses dual-loop control with PI regulator, which greatly enhances the system´s dynamic performance and steady-state accuracy. The feasibility and rationality of the design are verified by the results of simulation and experiment. It can be used in replacement of actual photovoltaic arrays to provide a controllable environment for research and design of photovoltaic inverters and control systems.