Modeling and constant power operation of photovoltaic (PV) module employing PSO

In photovoltaic power system, both photovoltaic (PV) module and switch-mode converters show non-linear and time variant characteristics which make it difficult to be analyzed and controlled. In this paper a 50W photovoltaic module is investigated for its design and control characteristics. The operating characteristic is studied and PV model parameter estimation is carried out using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique. The unknown parameters like series resistance, shunt resistance and reverse saturation current are estimated using PSO that do not involve assumptions. At the same time the operating range estimation of power converter is also suggested using PSO. The performance analysis of this estimated parameter based model is presented for constant power operation by applying suitable control technique to a boost converter. The results from identified parameter based module are obtained and plotted for varying insolation conditions between 20 % and 100 % for validation.