Design and Implementation of MPPT Controlled Grid Connected Photovoltaic System

Md. Ismail Hossain EEE Department International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) Dhaka, Bangladesh Email: jewel04eee@yahoo. com Shakil Ahamed Khan EETE Department Dhaka International University (DIU) Dhaka, Bangladesh Email: shakil_pilabs@yaho o.com Md. Shafiullah EEE Department Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Dhaka, Bangladesh Email: msu@fpvlbd.com Mohammad Jakir Hossain EEE Department Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) Gazipur, Bangladesh Email: jakir@duet.ac.bd

Abstract- This paper proposes an intelligent method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of a photovoltaic system under variable temperature and insolation conditions and conversion of this solar energy into stabilized sine wave having low distortion factor (DF), so that the solar energy can be supplied to grid and can operate electrical and electronic devices efficiently. For the reduction of tracking time of maximum power from photovoltaic array and to obtain stabilized sine wave with very fast rise time for voltage stability, fuzzy logic control algorithm is implemented with the embedded microcontroller for improved performance as compared to conventional techniques. The system includes a photovoltaic array; a PWM controlled DC-DC, DC-AC converters, sensor circuits and zero crossing detector (ZCD). The designed MPPT controller regulates the converter output voltage by varying modulation index of the PWM pattern using MPPT algorithm and it maximizes the output power extracted from photovoltaic array. This paper discusses the low cost implementation of MPP algorithm in a 8-bit microcontroller using the tools and techniques to generate optimized real time code in C for ATMega8 microcontroller which will demonstrate how maximum power point tracker might provide elegant and efficient solution for increasing the efficiency of a solar system and connection of the extracted energy to grid which is based on experimental results rather than on mathematical models. Keywords PV module, MPP tracking, Voltage/current sensor, DC-DC converter, Fuzzy logic control, Grid connection.

effective, reliable and harmless energy source is probably solar energy. Solar energy can be harvested by the use of photovoltaic (PV) array. But, there are still some drawbacks as follow: the install cost of solar panels is high, and the conversion efficiency is still lower. PV array has an optimum operating point to extract the maximum power called the maximum power point (MPP), which varies depending on cell temperature and insolation level, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 respectively. Variation in lighting intensity causes this trackers to deviate from the maximum power point when lighting conditions change, the tracker needs to response with in a short time to the change to avoid energy loss. Therefore, it is not easy to track the maximum power point of the PV cell quickly and effectively in the real application. To overcome this drawback, many MPPT algorithms were suggested for tracking the MPP of solar module [1], [8]. We have proposed a scheme as shown in Fig. 3, based on the use of conventional DC-DC converter, where combination of voltage and power feedback control system is implemented with the use of artificial intelligence algorithm which results in a two-dimensional tracking strategy that makes tracking response faster and maximizes the power extracted from the solar module and the power delivered to the load. Maximum power point tracking is assured by varying duty cycle of the PWM signal to control MOSFET switch applied to a boost converter [2]. The control logic is implemented to a microcontroller (ATMega8) with the use of fuzzy logic algorithm. Designing a conventional controller presents problems since modelling the system is very difficult due to its nonlinearity. For controlling such a complicated system, fuzzy logic control can be the best solution [3]. However, fuzzy technique, which has gained popularity in recent years, looks very promising for this application. The use of fuzzy logic in gate signals control in MPPT is tackled, analyzed, and implemented in this paper where MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation and experimental results are described. The

I. INTRODUCTION Energy is the most basic and essential of all resources .All the energy we use on Earth comes from fission or fusion of atomic nuclei or from energy store in the Earth. The problem with both fission and fusion is that, they have dangerous radioactivity and side effect. Therefore, most of the generation of energy in our modern industrialized society is strongly depending on very limited non-renewable resources such as petroleum. As the worlds energy demands rise and resources become scarce, the petroleum is getting more and more expensive. The search for alternative energy resources has become an important issue for our time. The people seek for new green and unlimited energy sources, e.g. wind energy, water energy, solar energy, etc. The most

results show how well this controller eliminates the complexity and maximizes the power extracted from the solar module and the power delivered to the battery. For grid connected inverter design, which includes DC-DC converter, followed by a PWM inverter where feedback and fuzzy logic control is implemented to obtain output voltage stability so that the available energy can be supplied to the grid effectively. The output voltage is synchronized with the grid voltage by using Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) which is implemented software program and ZCD. Standalone operation is performed by detecting the abnormal grid condition. II. MPP TRACKING The characteristics of a PV system vary with temperature and insolation as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. So, the MPPT controller is also required to track the new modified maximum power point in its corresponding curve whenever temperature and/or insolation variation occurs.

The MPPT algorithm employed based on voltage and power feedback control approach, with the step size being dependant on the slope of the power vs. voltage (P-V) curve as shown in Fig. 4. Conventionally with this methods,

dP P(n) P(n 1) = dVPV VPV (n) V PV (n 1)

MPP is defined by

(1)

dP ( n) = 0 . When dV PV

dP dP ( n ) < 0 ), then the operation point ( n ) > 0 (or dV PV dV PV

is on the left (or right) of the MPP, and should be tuned toward opposite direction. III. DESIGN CONSIDERATION
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 5 10 15 20 25

Figure4. P-V characteristic of a PV module Figure1. Maximum power varies with different cell temperature at the same insolation

When a direct connection is carried out between the source and load, the output of the PV module is seldom maximum and the operating point is not optimal. So, a MPPT controller with a DC-DC converter is connected between the source and the load as shown in Fig. 3. A. Hardware implementation The feedback circuit consists of a voltage sensor and a current sensor. The sensors provide analog data as an output. For further processing of these data, A/D conversion is needed.

Figure2. Maximum power varies with different insolation at the same temperature

Figure3.

Detailed system block diagram

Since ADC module contained in ATMega8 microcontroller and can work on voltage up to 5V, so it is an added advantage which reduces the cost of two A/D converters IC. The analog output of two sensors is connected to ADCO and ADC1 pin of ATMega8 microcontroller and the A/D conversion is completed by using software program. With a 10-bit ADC over the full range of mains voltage (0~30V) scaled to 0 to 5V. The resolution is 30/1024 or 0.03V. This is too high a resolution called for. B. Voltage sensor for MPPT section Voltage divider network is used as voltage sensor for the controller. The resistance values chosen are 22K and 8.2K. This gives the resistance ratio of 8.2K/ (32K+8.2K) = 0.20 and therefore gives the maximum input voltage to the A/D conversion channel is 0.2025=5. C. Current Sensor for MPPT section Differential amplifier circuit is used as current sensor for the controller. By connecting a current resistor at the inputs of the differential amplifier, the current from the PV array passing through the resistor and gives rise to a voltage drop across it. The voltage is then amplified by the differential amplifier. If the solar panel is assumed it operating its maximum capacity, the maximum output current is 4.85 amp, and if 0.5W dissipation is allowed for the current sensing resistor, the resistance value can be determined by (0.5=4.852R) or (R=0.5/4.852=0.0213 ). A 0.022 surface-mount resistor is chosen for this design. D. DC-DC Converter for MPPT section

For sensing the inverter output voltage, potential transformer is used to step down the output voltage and rectified by using full wave rectifier circuit. The output is then feed back to ADC0 pin of ATMega8 microcontroller. The ADC module contained in ATMega8 microcontroller is used to convert the voltage levels to digital value and can work on voltage up to 5V. A/D conversion is completed by using software program. With a 10-bit ADC over the full range of mains voltage (0~300V) scaled to 0 to 5V. The resolution is 300/1024 or 0.3V. This is too high a resolution called for. The rms value of the voltage is calculated by using the formula as given in (3).

V rms =
n =1

Vn n
(3)

If the output voltage decreases the Vrms voltage also decreases. The output voltage of inverter is rule-based. The rules logic is built into the software developed where fuzzy logic control system is applied so that whenever Vrms voltage decreases or increases; duty cycle of PWM varies to regulate the output voltage. IV. FUZZY LOGIC IMPLEMENTATION ON EMBEDDED
MICROCONTROLLER

Fuzzy logic controllers have the advantages of working with imprecise inputs, not needed an accurate mathematical model, and handling nonlinearity [7]. The inputs to a MPPT fuzzy logic controller are usually an error E and a change of error E as given in (4) and (5) respectively [8].

The non-isolated boost DC-DC converter is widely P( n) P( n 1) used in stand alone PV system because it is simple, low cost (4) E (n) = and high efficiency. In general, the conversion efficiency is V ( n) V ( n 1) reading 90%. So, the boost is suitable for simple stand alone E (n) = E ( n) E ( n 1) (5) system. Here we adopted this converter as our regulator [4]. Fig. 3 depicts the circuits of the boost converter connected from the output of the solar cell. The power flow is controlled by varying the on/off duty cycle of the switching. The inputs to an AVR using fuzzy logic controller are The converter is operated at the switching frequency of 20 usually an error voltage E and a change of error E as given KHz. The average output voltage is determined by the Eq. (2) in (6) and (7) respectively. [5], [6]. (6) E ( n) = V (n) V ( n 1) VOUT 1 (2) = (7) E ( n) = E (n) E (n 1) VIN 1 D Where, VOUT is the output voltage V IN is the input voltage and D is the duty cycle of controllable switch. E. Hardware Implementation of grid connected inverter The full bridge inverter stage is designed with MOSFET power transistors [6]. The drive signal for MOSFET power transistors is generated by the PWM (pulse width modulation) module contained in the microcontroller. The proper value of duty cycle is selected with the use of fuzzy logic control algorithm depending on the condition of inverter output voltage. With fuzzy logic, output voltage is stabilized while variation of the input range is 150V to 250V.

E and E are calculated and converted to the linguistic variables during fuzzification. Linguistic variables are nonprecise variables that often convey a surprising amount of information. To simplify the control calculation, the values of error E and change of error E can be normalized with (8) before fuzzification process:

1, Y < Y * YS = Y * , Y < Y * Y * 1, Y > Y

(8)

Where, Y = Ymax , so the scopes of error E and change of error E will be [-1, 1]. Fig. 5 shows the relations between measured error and the linquistive term, such as positive small, positive medium and positive big. At some point the error is positive small and at some point the error is positive big the space between positive big and positive small indicates an error that is, to some degree, a bit of both. The horizontal axis in the following graph shows the measured or crisp value of error. The vertical axis describes the degree to which a linguistic variable fits with the crisp measured data.

TABLE I FUZZY RULE BASE TABLE FOR MPPT

E E NB NS ZE PS PB

NB ZE ZE NS PS PB

NS ZE ZE ZE PS PB

ZE NB NS ZE PS PB

PS NB NS ZE ZE ZE

PB NB NS PS ZE ZE

The final step in the fuzzy logic controller is to combine the fuzzy output into a crisp systems output. The result of the defuzzification has to be a numeric value which determines the change of duty cycle of the PWM signal used to drive the MOSFET.
TABLE II FUZZY RULE BASE TABLE FOR AVR

Figure5. The relationship between linguistics variable and error

To add the linguistics variable positive big to a computer program running in an embedded controller, translation the graphical representation into meaningful code is needed. The following C code fragment gives one example of how to do this. The function error- Positive Big ( ) returns a degree of membership, scaled between 0 and 1, indicating the degree to which a given error can be positive big. This type of simple calculation is the first tool required for calculations of fuzzy logic operations. char Error_ Positive Big (int CRISP) { if (CRISP < 0.4) return(0); else { if (CRISP >= 0.4) return(CRISP * 2.5); else { return(1); }} } Rule evaluation is done by using an algorithm where loops compare the antecedent value depending on the rule being evaluated in a repeated fashion until all rules are evaluated. The fuzzy logic controller output is typically a change in duty ratio D. The linguistic variables assigned to D for the different combinations of E and E as shown in Table I for MPPT and Table II for grid connected AVR system. If, for example, the operating point is far to the left of the MPP as shown in Fig. 4, that is E is PB, and E is ZE, then we want to largely increase the duty ratio, that is D should be PB to reach the MPP. The comparison of Matlab simulation for AVR using fuzzy logic and without fuzzy logic is shown in fig. 9.

E E NB NS ZE PS PB

NB NB NB NB ZE ZE

NS NB NS ZE ZE PS

ZE NS ZE ZE PS PS

PS ZE ZE PS PS PB

PB ZE PS PS PB PB

There are various methods to calculate the crisp output of the system. Centre of Gravity (COG) method is used in our application due to better results it gives. The COG for our application is expressed mathematically as given in (9),

Y [i] F[i]
D =
n =1

Y [i]
n =1

(9)

Where Y[i] is the ith members of the output vector and F[i] are the multiplying coefficients of the output membership function as shown in Table 1, and D is the change of duty cycle, and this number represents a signed number which is added or subtracted from the present duty cycle to generate the next system response for reaching the MPP and inverter voltage stability. V. FIRMWARE DESCRIPTION A. MPPT section The overview of fuzzy logic control MPPT is shown in Fig. 6. The Liquid Crystal Display is used to display output voltage, current, power and duty cycle. This information is used to tune fuzzy rules. The main loop is responsible for updating ADC value and calculating output voltage, current, power. Using these variables, duty cycle is calculated which is performed by using fuzzy logic control algorithm based on a single-chip unit ATMega8 microcontroller. With the output of controller, pulse generated from PWM can switch IRF540 MOSFET to change the duty cycle of the boost DC-DC

converter. Then the PV array output voltage can be adjusted to track the maximum power. B. Grid connection Scheme Fig. 3 shows the detail block diagram of the proposed scheme. The output of the grid voltage is stepped down by using potential transformer and rectified voltage is connected to ADC0 pin of microcontroller 1 for measuring grid voltage. Zero crossing detector circuit as shown in Fig. 6 is connected to INT0 pin of microcontroller 1 for measuring frequency of the grid voltage. The grid voltage is used as reference voltage for fuzzy logic input which is implemented in microcontroller 2 so that the duty cycle of the DC-DC converter will be updated to reduce the error voltage between inverter and grid.

The information of frequency from microcontroller 1 is supplied to microcontroller 2 for updating the number of pwm pulse to adjust the inverter frequency with the grid voltage. When the difference voltage between grid and inverter is zero, then an interrupt pulse will be provided to microcontroller 1 from microcontroller 3. After receiving the interrupt signal, at zero crossing point of the grid voltage microcontroller 1 will provide a signal to microcontroller 2 for generating pwm signal from the beginning and will switch to grid supply simultaneously. So the synchronization with grid is automatic in our system. VI. TEST AND RESULT The experimental layout for the real time test of fuzzy MPPT is shown in Fig. 10. From the experiment we observed that the implementation of the fuzzy logic algorithm in a low-cost microcontroller is capable of rapidly locking into the MPP for a photovoltaic panel under variable temperature and insolation conditions. Fig. 8 shows the control output surface of fuzzy logic using MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation. To adjust the grid voltage, the variation of duty cycle in DC-DC converter section is shown in Fig. 11. To obtain sine wave, the generation of PWM signal applied to DC-AC inverter is shown in Fig. 12 and the resultant sine wave is shown in Fig. 13.

Figure7. Fuzzy MPPT algorithm

Figure8. Fuzzy control output surface

Without using fuzzy logic

Using fuzzy logic

Figure6. Zero crossing detector

Figure9. MATLAB/SIMULINK result of fuzzy logic

(a)

Figure13.

Output sine wave of the inverter

(b)
Figure10. Photos of MPPT controlled output, (a) Output results of MPPT controller (b) Tuned fuzzy MPPT controlled outputs for changing inputs Figure14. Simulation of PWM and output sine wave in proteus software

VII. CONCLUSION

(a)

This paper has demonstrated the implementation of FLC to a microcontroller for MPPT of a PV module and AVR for an inverter which will be connected to grid in synchronizing condition. The FLC is easy to implement and require a small amount of inexpensive components in compact size. The designed controller is capable of rapidly locking into the MPP for a photovoltaic panel and very first rise time for voltage and frequency stability of the inverter. REFERENCES
[1] H. P. Desai & H. K. Patel, Maximum power point algorithm in PV generation: an overview. International conference on Power Electronics and Drive Systems, (PEDS07), Nov 27-30th, Thailand, 2007. pp. 637-641. H. Matsuo and F. Kurokawa., New solar cell power supply system using a boost type bidirectional DC-DC converter, IEEE Electron, vol. 31, pp. 51- 55, Feb. 1984. Bor-SenChen, Chung-Shi Tseng and Huey-Jian Uang, Robustness Design of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems via Fuzzy Linear Control, IEEE Fuzzy Systems, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 571-585, Oct. 1999. N. Ozog, W. Xiao, and W. G. Dunford, Topology study of Photovoltaic interface for maximum power point tracking, IEEE Electron., vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 16961704, Jun. 2007. Simoes, M. G., Franceschetti, N. N. and Friedhofer, M., A Fuzzy Logic Based Photovoltaic Peak Power Tracking Controller, Proceedings of the IEEE Inter-National Symposium on Industrial Electronics, pp. 300-325 (1998). Mohammed H. Rashid. Power Electronics Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, 2nd ed., 1994. M.Veerachary, T.Senjyu, and K.Uezato,Neural-network-based maximum-power-point tracking of coupled-inductor interleavedboost-converter-supplied PVsystem using fuzzy controller, IEEE Electron, vol.50, no.4,pp.749758,Aug.2003. Trishan Esram and PatrickL. Chapman, Comparison of Photovoltaic Array Maximum Power Point Tracking Techniques, IEEE Energy Conversion, Vol.22, No. 2, pp439-449, June 2007

(b)
Figure11. (a) MOSFET gate pulse with 40% duty cycle in DC-DC converter section (b) 50% duty cycle

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6] [7]

Figure12.

PWM signal for sine wave inverter

[8]