A PIC CONTROLLER FOR GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEM USING A FPGA BASED INVERTER J.C. Lima*, J. M. Corleta®, A. Medeiros, V.M. Canalli*, F. Antunes, F. B. Libano and FS. Dos Reis*® Energy Processing and Control Group - GPEC Departamento de Engenharia Elética, Cx. Postal - 6001 ‘Campus do Pici- Universidade Federal do Cears, (60455-760. Fortaleza ~ CE - Brazil e-mail fantunes@dee.ufe:br Abstract = 4 implementation of a controller for tracking the point of rm power transfer based_on neural networks, ocontroller of the PIC family, on energy using a systems that use photovoltaic panels. A neural network is od to determine at each instant, the output voltage in a DC-DC hoost converter connected to the solar panels, in way (0 obtain the maximum power transfer of these panels, This implementation releases the use of a geeat performance computer, once the neural network was already trained and this way, i can be implemented in a dedicated system. The maximum power transfer of the system is obtained adjusting the duty cycle of the DC-DC boost converter. One three-phase inverter was implemented with a new control circuit to generate the L INTRODUCTION The technology on photovoltaic systems comes expanding, thanks 10 growing demand for energy altematives, mainly for safe sources and clean ent sourees [1], Photovoltaic cells are non-linear devices, where the currentvoltage characteristics depend mainly of the solar ‘nradiation [2]. These devices are expensive andl have low celficiency. Studies -shows that on energy systems based on photovoltaic cells, $7% af the total costs ofthe implantation refer atthe cost ofthe solar panels and 30% refer atthe cost ‘of the battery system [3]. In way'to turn economy viable the plantation of this energy source, is essential the construction of a system that always obtain the maximum power of these solar panels. Several systems that permit the rmaximom power tansfer between the photovoltaic panels J the power net were proposed, in way to increase the ficiency and 10 decrease the costs. The objective of these ‘ystems is to obiain through electronic cireuits and of control algorithins, adjustment inthe output voliage of the Photovoltaic cells, in way to obtain at any moment, always the maximum power allowed. The maximum power supplied by & system based on photovoltaic cells change with the time, and it depends of environmental factors such as the solar inadiation and the (0-7803-6606-9100'$10.00 ©2000 IEEE -169- *Pon ia Universidade Catdliea do Rio Grande do Sul PUCRS - FENG - DEE CEP 90619-900 - Avenida Ipiranga, 6681 Ponto Alegre - RS - Brasil e-mail: Costeis@ieee.org temperature of these cells. Several techniques that use aon linear equations systems to describe the operation of Photovoltaic cells have been used to determine the maximum power point [2-4] An alternative to this approach has been the employment of artificial neural networks {1,5}, with Which were obtained excellent eesuls, once these constitute a universal approximator For non-linear dynamic systems, The objective of this work isto describe the application of an autificial neural-network to determine the maximum power transfer point in energy systems based on photovoltaic panels. The implantation ofthis nural network is made with microcontroller of the PIC fanly [6 in way to build a loww cost and efficient system, One three-phase inverter based on FPGA device was implemented to maintain ‘simplicity and low cost. UL, DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM ‘The figure | presents block diagram of the proposed energy system, This System is composed of four basie elements: Solar panels DC-DC Converter Neural network-based ea ‘Thyee-phase FPGA based inverter. The solar panel is composed of six photoveltaie cells for the energy supply (V;) and of one photovoltaic cell to obtain the reference voltage (V,). The DC-DC converter consists of 1 boost structore type of just one stage, responsible for adjusting the output voltage (V,.), that it will be given to the three-phase inverter, in way to always obtain the maximum power transfer point. The control based on an artificial neural rework, which determines the ourput vollage of the DC-DC onverte; it was implemented on a microcontroller of the PIC family ‘The inverter is used 10 generate three-phase sinusoidal voltage, starting from the voltage available inthe output of| the boost converter (Vi). in way (0 facilitate the connection fof the energy with the commercial electic network, This inverter was implemented using a new contro circuit based fon FPGA device 10 generate & sinusoidal PWM. signal ISIE"2000, Cholula, Puebla, MexicoFigure 1 Unlike the taditional implementations that use a microprocessor 0 read a table points stored in a memory circuit, this circuit synthesize ditecty the sinusoidal function ‘through one discrete equation, as shown the figure 2,