Estimation of solar energy generation in an 80 kW station in Kabudrahang, Iran: A comparative study

Estimation of solar energy generation using integrated power systems must be performed for power systems in terms of long-term planning and short-term control. Irradiation is one of the main factors affecting the resulting energy of any solar system. Hence, investigation of solar irradiation on the horizontal surface facilitates proper and effcient implementation of a solar energy system. Capturing much more energy from irradiation through Photovoltaic (PV) cells results in the enhancement of energy generation in PV station. The present paper aims to study the effectiveness of applying two topologies to energy harvesting in PV stations. The topologies include (a) PV station with multilevel boost converters and inverters and (b) PV station with only multilevel inverters. This study investigated an 80 kW PV test station, located in Kabudrahang, Iran. The comparison of the results pointed to the effectiveness of multilevel converters in the output of PV arrays in harvesting a signiffcant volume of solar energy. Simulation results showed that the results of utilizing the proposed topology in harvesting the maximum power from a PV station were promising.