Simulation and analysis of an intelligent fuzzy logic controller model for low power photovoltaic energy utilization system

Remote areas in India are still not connected to the power grid. But they have mobile network connectivity. The people face problems in charging their cell phones. They are forced to travel a long distances to get access to electrical outlets. The use of new efficient photovoltaic solar cells (PVSCs) has emerged as an alternative measure of renewable green power, energy conservation and demand-side management. The manufacturing of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has advanced dramatically in recent years. But they have two inherent major problems the first is low conversion efficiency (10to16%for commercially available amorphous silicon solar cells), second is high capital cost [1]. Solar powered systems consist of different parts to be controlled separately. Since the generated power is a function of uncontrollable environmental conditions, it requires extra caution to design controllers that handle unpredictable events and maintain efficient load matching power. In this study, a photovoltaic (PV) solar array model was developed and analyzed using Matlab/Simulink. The model includes converter circuits, a controller using fuzzy logic control (FLC), and a maximum Power point (MPP) tracking control which is used to operate the PVA at its maximum power. The MPP point is tracked using four algorithms perturbation & Observation, Incremental conductance method, Constant Voltage method and Constant current method. Later a comparative performance analysis of the model for MPP algorithms is done.