Model Predictive Control of PV Sources in a Smart DC Distribution System: Maximum Power Point Tracking and Droop Control

In a dc distribution system, where multiple power sources supply a common bus, current sharing is an important issue. When renewable energy resources are considered, such as photovoltaic (PV), dc/dc converters are needed to decouple the source voltage, which can vary due to operating conditions and maximum power point tracking (MPPT), from the dc bus voltage. Since different sources may have different power delivery capacities that may vary with time, coordination of the interface to the bus is of paramount importance to ensure reliable system operation. Further, since these sources are most likely distributed throughout the system, distributed controls are needed to ensure a robust and fault tolerant control system. This paper presents a model predictive control-based MPPT and model predictive control-based droop current regulator to interface PV in smart dc distribution systems. Back-to-back dc/dc converters control both the input current from the PV module and the droop characteristic of the output current injected into the distribution bus. The predictive controller speeds up both of the control loops, since it predicts and corrects error before the switching signal is applied to the respective converter.