classConcept

Information

The fundamentals of this library are presented in [Brkic2019].

The PhotoVoltaics library relies on simple electric equivalent circuit models of photovoltaic cells. Simple photovoltaic modules consist of a series connection of individual cells such that shadowing effects can be considered. Alternatively, a simple symmetric module consists solely of a single, scaled cell model which calculates cell voltage, current and power, internally. A simple symmetric plant is also a single, scaled model of a cell, considering the series connections of a module and the series and parallel connections of a plant.

Each photovoltaic (PV) component has to be coupled with a converter to deliver power to either an energy storage or the electric grid. In the PhotoVoltaics library, DC/DC and DC/AC converters are provided. In the quasi-static domain, a single-phase and a three-phase converter are provided. For transient models, currently only a three-phase converter is provided. The converter models consider

• no loss of the semiconductors,
• ideal control of the DC voltage of the PV component.

In order to operate each PV component at the maximum power point, a maximum power tracker is provided. In the current version, only a sampling tracker is available.

Different solar irradiance sources may be used with the PhotoVoltaics library:

• Analytical terrestrial solar model depending on
  • latitude
  • longitude
  • absolute time
  • a reference irradiance of the sun
  • azimuth and inclination angle of the used PV component
• Terrestrial irradiance model with variable location of the azimuth and the angle of inclination of the PV component
• Irradiance model without time dependency and terrestrial data; sun location is fixed such that extraterrestrial solar radiation can be investigated
• Measurement data read from file such as implemented in PhotoVoltaics_TGM

The PV module parameters of different manufacturers are provided as parameter records. The required module parameters are shown in ModuleData.