Power Quality Improvement in Grid-connected Photovoltaic–Fuel Cell Based Hybrid System Using Robust Maximum Power Point Tracking Controller

Abstract

This article addresses power quality improvement in a 3-Φ grid-connected photovoltaic–fuel cell based hybrid system using hybrid filter topology. In the context of the extraction of maximum power due to the uncertainty of solar insolation and temperature in the hybrid system, backstepping control is addressed for the DC-DC boost converter. A space vector pulse-width modulation control technique is implemented for the voltage source inverter for the grid integration objective. Compensation of the distorted waveform at the point of common coupling is accomplished by a suitable controller design using the hybrid filter. The series of simulation results in MATLAB environment (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA) followed by prototype experimental validation reflects the superiority of the proposed controllers to achieve power quality improvements.

Keywords:

• robust control
• backstepping
• hybrid system
• space vector pulse-width modulation
• power quality
• hybrid filter

Acknowledgments

The experimental setup was built in the power electronics lab of International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bhubaneswar under the guidance of Dr. Prakash Kr Ray. His meticulous guidance and constructive and valuable suggestions added a deeper analysis of the subject under study.

NOMENCLATURE

A	=	diode ideality factor of photovoltaic cell
d	=	duty cycle of boost converter
E0	=	reversible cell potential in fuel cell
Iph	=	photovoltaic current
Is	=	diode saturation current of photovoltaic cell
Ip, Vp	=	output voltage and current of photovoltaic array
Ifc	=	fuel cell stack current
L, IL	=	boost converter inductance and current across inductor
Np	=	number of photovoltaic cells connected in parallel
Ns	=	number of photovoltaic cells connected in series
p	=	partial pressure of substance in fuel cell
Rsh	=	parallel resistance of photovoltaic cell
Rs	=	series resistance of photovoltaic cell
uc	=	insulated-gate bipolar transistor switch control input
Vba	=	battery voltage
Vf	=	operating DC voltage of fuel cell

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sandipan Patra

Sandipan Patra completed his B.Tech. in electronics and instrumentation engineering from West Bengal University of Technology, India, and his Master's degree in electrical engineering with specialization in power electronics and application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad. Currently he is a Ph.D. research scholar at NIT Rourkela. His areas of interest include PQ, multi-level inverters, DG, and signal processing applications in power electronics.

Ankur

Ankur received his B.Tech. in electronics engineering from the Institute of Engineering and Rural Technology, Allahabad, and his Master's degree in control and instrumentation engineering from MNNIT Allahabad. Currently he is an engineer at GE India. His research interests include renewable energy and DG.

Modem Narayana

Modem Narayana received his B.Tech. in electrical and electronics engineering from Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati, India, in1996 and his M.Tech. from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, College of Engineering (JNTUCE), Hyderabad, India, in 2004. Currently he is a Ph.D. research scholar at MNNIT Allahabad in the Electrical Engineering Department. His research interests include renewable energy, PQ, and power system studies.

Soumya R. Mohanty

Soumya R. Mohanty received his Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India. Currently, he is an assistant professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, MNNIT, Allahabad, India. His research interests include digital signal processing applications in power system relaying, PQ, and pattern recognition applications to DG-based systems.

Nand Kishor

Nand Kishor received his Ph.D. from IIT, Roorkee, India. Currently, he is an associate professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, MNNIT, Allahabad, India. Since August 2012, he has been working as a Marie Curie Experienced Researcher (Marie Curie Fellow) with the Electrical Engineering Department, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. His research interests include artificial intelligence (AI) applications in power systems, DG, wireless sensor networks, and digital signal processing applications in power systems.