Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering, Vol.8, No.

1, March 2022

A Two-stage Single-phase Grid-connected Solar-PV

System with Simplified Power Regulation
Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan, Raja Pitchaimuthu* and Moorthi Sridharan
(Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering,
National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015, India)

Abstract: This study focuses on the design and development of a simplified active power regulation scheme for a two-stage
single-phase grid-connected solar-PV (SPV) system with maximum power point (MPP) estimation. It aims to formulate and test an
improvised new control scheme to estimate the real-time MPP of the PV panel and operate only at either the MPP or on the right-hand
side (RHS) of the PV characteristics of the panel. A simple active power regulatory control scheme was formulated to provide
frequency control services to a single-phase grid without using an energy storage device. The plant operator provides the reserve
fraction as the input for the active power regulation controller. At any time, the reserve fraction is used to determine the magnitude of
the reference power to be extracted from the PV panel for injection into the grid. A simple PI controller was used to track the
calculated reference power. The different modes of operation of the regulatory scheme are presented in detail. All the above control
schemes are integrated and implemented through appropriate switching of the DC-DC converter alone. The DC-AC converter
maintains the DC link voltage and unity power factor at the single-phase grid terminals. The proposed control schemes were tested on
a 250 Wp solar panel feeding power to a 230 V, 50 Hz single-phase grid through a two-stage converter. The entire scheme was
modeled using the Matlab/Simulink platform, and the same was validated by hardware experimentation using Chroma Solar
Simulator and NI myRIO controller under varied irradiation, temperature, and reserve fractions. The simulation and hardware results
are compared and reported.
Keywords: Solar photo voltaic (SPV), maximum power point (MPP), right hand side (RHS), power regulation

with all the circuit parameters in Refs. [7-8], leads to an

1 Introduction1
iterative-based estimation.
Currently, renewable energy sources have a significant However, the method proposed in Ref. [9] neglects
role in replacing the usage of fossil fuels because of the effect of series and shunt resistances of the SPV
their environmental effects, such as global warming, model; thus, it avoids the conventional iteration-based
[1]
air pollution, and various health hazards . To estimation of the MPP. In turn, the controller reacts
effectively utilize renewable energy sources, such as faster for dynamic changes in the reference conditions.
solar photovoltaic and wind turbines, there is a need Considering the shortcomings of Refs. [7-8], this study
for efficient power control techniques under various attempts to implement the analytical solution given in
[2-4]
operating condition . Currently, grid-connected Ref. [9] to suit the grid-connected solar-PV system, in
solar-PV power plants are preferably operated in the addition to the proposed enhanced active power
maximum power point (MPP) mode to maximize regulation scheme.
revenue. A direct real-time computation of MPP Consequently, if the penetration level of the SPV is
estimation techniques was proposed in Refs. [5-8]. The high, the MPPT mode can severely weaken the power
algorithm developed in Ref. [5] for MPP estimation has system stability during grid disturbances. The stability
two loops of computation, which is overly complex. The of the power system can be improved by adopting an
use of a single-diode model SPV for MPP estimation, appropriate storage device along with its control. The
installation of a storage system with renewable energy
Manuscript received September 5, 2021; revised December 3, 2021; accepted [10]
January 31, 2022. Date of publication March 31, 2022; date of current version increases the cost and complexity of the control .
February 7, 2022.
* Corresponding Author, E-mail: [email protected] Hence, an appropriate method of active power
Digital Object Identifier: 10.23919/CJEE.2022.000008
 82 Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering, Vol.8, No.1, March 2022

regulation in a grid-connected solar-PV system than conventional voltage control, ③ capability to

without any storage would make the system simple regulate active power by operating at MPP, or to the
[11]
and cost effective . Generally, active power control RHS of MPP through an external reserve command
is achieved at the grid-tied inverter through various under all environmental conditions. ④ Achieving the
control schemes. A complex nonlinear adaptive operation of the PV system in the RHS of PV
backstepping controller is used. Similarly, in Ref. [12], characteristics through a simplified algorithm with a
active power regulation is achieved by phase-shifting reduced computational burden. The RHS operation is
the grid-connected inverter output voltage with respect valid irrespective of the MPP or power-regulation
to the grid voltage. mode of operation. ⑤ The single-phase inverter
Further, in Refs. [13-16], attempts have been made performs DC link voltage control, grid
to implement active power regulation in SPV systems synchronization, and UPF operations only.
at the DC-DC converter side. The advanced control
techniques used in Refs. [13-14] can regulate the SPV
output power according to any setpoint and force the SPV
systems to operate on the left side of the MPP. However,
power reference variation of near-zero to 100% of the
available maximum power is impossible, and wide
variation in power reference causes instability problems.
The authors of Ref. [15] proposed a sensorless power
reserve control strategy for two-stage grid-connected SPV
systems using the FOCV-based MPPT technique. In
Ref. [16], the DC-DC converter controls the active power
curtailment with 10 PI controllers, and the system
operates in the LHS of the SPV characteristics. The Fig. 1 Two-stage grid-connected single-phase solar-PV
authors have not addressed a wide range of power system with control logic
references i.e., 0-100 %.
In this work, for the effective power reference The proposed active power regulation scheme is
variation of near-zero to 100% of the available described in Section 2 of this paper, and Section 3
maximum power, the proposed active power explains the MPP estimation procedure. The solar-PV
regulation scheme was designed to operate on the right-hand side operation for a two-stage
right-hand side of the PV characteristics of the PV system grid-connected inverter combined with the power
with minimal computational effort compared to Ref. [17]. regulation operation is elaborated in Section 4.
To test the proposed active power regulation scheme, a Sections 5 and 6 discuss the validation of the proposed
two-stage grid-connected PV system, as shown in Fig. 1, control techniques using Matlab/Simulink and its
is considered in the study. The proposed active power hardware implementation. The concluding remarks are
regulation scheme is mathematically modeled for a presented in Section 7.
capacity of 250 Wp in Matlab/Simulink, and the same has
2 Proposed active power regulation scheme
been validated experimentally in the laboratory using
Chroma Solar Simulator and NI myRIO controller for An important consideration for the power regulation
various operating conditions. control scheme is to provide a given amount of reserve,
The uniqueness of the proposed scheme are as either in terms of absolute power (kW/MW) or as a
follows: ① A simplified active power regulation fraction of the available maximum power represented
scheme for the DC-DC converter. As a result, the as a reserve fraction. Hence, the control of the PV
power reserve operation is achieved by controlling system was proposed in Ref. [3] to make it work as a
only one power electronic device; ② only one PI conventional steam/hydro-driven grid-connected
controller regulates the active power reference, rather alternator. In conventional alternators, power
 Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan et al.: A Two-stage Single-phase Grid-connected Solar-PV System with Simplified Power Regulation 83

generation is based on customer demand by increasing error by comparing P'pv and Pref. The reference power
hydro or steam input. Similarly, solar-PV-based power to be injected, Pref, is computed as in Eq. (1)
generation is expected to hold a controller function Pref=Pmp×(1−reserve fraction) (1)
based on the external command given by the operator.
where the reserve fraction is externally given by the
This, in turn, aims to utilize the power corresponding
grid operator based on the grid requirements. From the
to the operator requirement by estimating the
estimated MPP (Pmp), reserve command, and the
maximum power. The specified reserve control can be
current operating point of the PV panel, such as Vpv,
achieved either by storing the excess energy or by
Ipv, and P'pv, the PI controller pushes the solar-PV
maintaining the power reserve by injecting the
operating point to the right-hand side of the power vs.
specified power into the grid as a fraction of the
voltage characteristics. The authors in Ref. [17]
estimated maximum power.
proposed active power control to obtain P'pv, with ‘if’
When active power regulation is in operation, most
and ‘else’ logic for making a decision based on Vmp
of the operating conditions cause the solar-PV to
and Vpv. Furthermore, interpolation techniques for the
deliver power at a reduced level compared to the MPP,
RHS operation of the MPP were used. In contrast, in
which leads to two possible operating points in the
the proposed method, the operating condition of P'pv is
power vs. voltage characteristics of solar-PV. If the
directly compared with Pref to make it operate on the
controller pushes the operating point to the left-hand
right-hand side of the solar-PV characteristics under
side of the power vs. voltage characteristics, the
all environmental conditions with a specified reserve
following undesirable conditions will occur: (a)
by verifying that the value of Vpv is greater than Vmp.
restriction on the operating range of the DC-DC
converter, (b) increase in voltage and power ripples 3 Estimation of maximum power point (MPP)
during transient operating conditions, and (c)
The essential mathematical expressions required for
restriction on power regulation from near-zero to
the real-time estimation of MPP are solar-PV voltage
maximum power (Pmp). On the other hand, by
and current in terms of solar-PV equivalent circuit
overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages in
parameters. The connectivity between these
left-hand side operation along with a decrement in
parameters under reserve operating conditions is
losses can be achieved at the right-hand side operation,
discussed in this section. This will help in the design
which operates at a lower current, thereby increasing
of the controller for the DC-DC converter operation.
the overall efficiency. The authors in Ref. [17] proposed a
In general, the output current (Ipv) of solar-PV
right-hand side operation, but as it requires graphical
with ‘n’ number of cells connected in series is given
extrapolation and a Newton quadratic interpolation-based
by Eq. (2)
iterative process, the techniques are complex in terms of
I pv = I L − I D [exp((Vd naVt ) −1)] − (Vd Rsh ) (2)
implementation in a digital controller. In this study, a
simplified mechanism is used to bring the operating points where a represents the diode quality factor, IL is the light
to the right-hand side of the MPP under the power generated current of the module, ID represents the dark
regulation mode. current, Vt is the thermal voltage and Vd is the diode
Fig. 1 depicts a two-stage transformerless voltage, and Rsh is the parallel resistance of the module.
single-phase grid-connected solar-PV system with As per Fig. 2, the diode voltage Vd can be written as
power processing stages of DC-DC and DC-AC
conversions. The power injected to the grid is
regulated by controlling the duty cycle of a 20 kHz
DC-DC converter with required DC link voltage. The
SPWM inverter performs the DC-link voltage control and
also maintains the power quality and unity power factor at
the grid end with a provision to support any ancillary
service policy. From Fig. 1, the PI controller obtains the Fig. 2 Single-diode circuit model of a solar-PV cell
 84 Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering, Vol.8, No.1, March 2022

Vd = Vpv + I pv Rs (3) updating of these parameters is preferable.

where Rs, Vpv, and Ipv are the series resistance, voltage, 4 Solar-PV-RHS operation
and current of the solar-PV module, respectively.
While performing active power control in solar-PV,
To implement real-time estimation of the MPP (Pmp)
there are two possible operating points lying at either
by feeding the values of Vpv and Ipv, the values of Eqs. [17]
side of the MPP (LHS and RHS) that favor
(7-8) are computed in the digital controller, as shown
operating at the RHS of PV characteristics where Vpv
in Fig. 3. This gives the actual MPP at the is greater than Vmp. This avoids the minimum voltage
corresponding irradiation and temperature. While violation of the DC-DC converter at maximum reserve
computing the current and voltage corresponding to levels, has a faster dynamic response due to the slope
the MPP, the effects of Rsh and Rs are neglected to at the RHS, and thus improves the efficiency of the
[17]
reduce the computational complexity. The current and converter. To obtain active power control , an
voltage expressions are given by Eqs. (5-6) in Fig. 3. algorithm based on the Newton quadratic interpolation
Further, for the inclusion of appropriate effects due to (NQI) method, which is an iterative process to obtain
Rsh and Rs, the expressions of Imp and Vmp (Eqs. (7-8)) the required voltage of the PV array by approximating
have been proposed
[9]
. the PV characteristic curve with a quadratic curve, is
proposed. The proposed work in this study intends to
enable the RHS operation of a solar-PV system with a
simplified control technique compared to Ref. [17]. As
shown in Fig. 1, the RHS operation is obtained by
directly comparing P'pv and Pref, which operate under
all environmental conditions.
Tab. 1 is formulated by considering the
environmental conditions and reserve requirements to
estimate the present operating point of P'pv. The
following three cases were considered in the design
and analysis of the controller.
Case-1: Effect of variation in irradiation with the
fixed temperature at 25 ℃.
Case-2: Effect of temperature variation under fixed
2
irradiation of 1 000 W/m .
Case-3: Simultaneous variation in both irradiation
and temperature.
For all the above cases of environmental variation,
the possible changes in the reserve fraction are
considered as subcases in the same table. This
indicates the elimination of the complex mathematical
Fig. 3 MPP estimating procedure
techniques proposed in Ref. [17] for the RHS
For the above MPP estimating procedure, except for operation under specific conditions. The entire study
the measured values (Vpv, Ipv), the remaining values helps in arriving at the conditions to be incorporated
such as ID, Io, Vt, n, a, Rs, and Rsh were obtained from into the overall controller given in Fig. 1. Further, for
the datasheets. Furthermore, owing to the degradation clarity, all three cases are discussed in Tab. 1; Case-1
and aging of the PV array, these values may vary. To is elaborated in Fig. 4, and the rest of the cases are
avoid errors in MPP estimation, periodic online self-explanatory, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of Tab. 1.
 Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan et al.: A Two-stage Single-phase Grid-connected Solar-PV System with Simplified Power Regulation 85

Tab. 1 Various operating cases proposed under active power reserve control

References Power Operating

PV characteristics under various operating conditions
values constraint voltage
Case-1 1.(a)
Reserve=0; P′
pv=Pmp
Vpv=Vmp
Pref=Pmp

1.(b)
Reserve=x>0;
(P′
pv)b<Pmp (Vpv)b >(Vmp)a
Pref=(1−x) Pmp

1.(c)
Reserve is retained as in
pv)c<(Pmp)a
(P′ (Vpv)c ≥(Vmp)a
condition 1.(b)
Fig. 4 Variation in irradiation under 25 ℃

Case-2 2.(a)
Reserve=0; pv =Pmp
P′
Vpv=Vmp
Pref=Pmp

2.(b)
Reserve=x>0;
(P′
pv)b<Pmp (Vpv)b>(Vmp)a
Pref=(1−x)Pmp

2.(c)
Reserve is retained as in
(P′
pv)c<(Pmp)a (Vpv)c ≥(Vmp)a
Fig. 5 Variation in temperature under 1 000 W/m2 condition 2.(b)

Case-3

3.(a)
Reserve=0; pv =Pmp
P′
Vpv=Vmp
Pref=Pmp

3.(b)
Reserve=x>0;
(P′ )b<Pmp
pv′ (Vpv)b >(Vmp)a
Pref =(1−x)Pmp

3.(c)
Fig. 6 Variation in both irradiation and temperature Reserve is retained as in
(P'pv)c<(Pmp)a (Vpv)c≥(Vmp)a
condition 3.(b)

Case-1: Effect of variation in irradiation with the will become less than (P'pv)a at the MPP, and this error
fixed temperature at 25 ℃. will be reduced to zero by the PI controller by making
In all the instances of the PV characteristics during (Vpv)b greater than Vmp, which leads to right-hand side
Case-1, (shown in Fig. 4), if the reserve fraction is operation in the solar-PV characteristics (shown in 1.(b)
assigned as ‘zero’, the DC-DC converter is forced to of Fig. 4). At 1.(c) in Fig. 4, if the reserve fraction is
deliver the maximum power. Hence, P'pv will be retained, as in instance 1.(b), and the irradiation is
equated to Pmp and, in turn, Vpv should be equal to Vmp, reduced, then (P'pv)c will appear at the comparator,
as shown in 1.(a) of Fig. 4. For the positive fractional which is less than (Pref)b; hence, Vpv will be adjusted
input reserve fraction with the same irradiation, (Pref)b accordingly to maintain the RHS operation.
 86 Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering, Vol.8, No.1, March 2022

compute the MPP and deliver the same to the grid.

5 Simulation studies
The overall block diagram shown in Fig. 1 is
modeled using Matlab/Simulink to investigate the
performance of the proposed MPP estimator and
controller for the right-hand side operation of a 250
Wp solar-PV system. The major system parameters
considered for this simulation study are listed in
Tabs. 2 and 3. To validate the effectiveness of the
proposed technique, the three cases listed in Tab. 1
were simulated, and their corresponding results are
presented in this section. Fig. 7 Variation in maximum power estimation and grid
Tab. 2 PV module parameters power under various irradiation at 25 ℃ with zero reserve

Parameter Actual value

Open circuit voltage Voc/V 37.3
Short circuit current Isc/A 8.66
Maximum voltage Vm/V 30.7
Maximum current Im/A 8.15
Maximum power Pm/Wp 250.205
Series resistance Rs/Ω 0.237 2
Shunt resistance Rsh/Ω 224.18
Diode quality factor a 1.019

Tab. 3 PV module parameters

Actual value
Parameter
(in SI units)
Switching frequency fs/kHz 20
Fig. 8 Variation in maximum power estimation and grid
Input capacitance Cpv/µF 2
power under varied irradiation and temperature with zero reserve
DC link capacitance Cdc/µF 450

Inductance L/mH 20 From Fig. 9, the difference between the MPP and
PI controller Kp 0.15 grid-injected power is evident owing to the reserve
PI controller Ki 5
operation. To validate the above claim, the power in
the instances of 0.5 s and 1.5 s in Fig. 9 are analyzed.
First, the transient response of the controller is At 0.5 s, the grid power to be injected is 200 W,
tested under various environmental conditions, such as whereas the estimated MPP power is 250 W; hence,
irradiation and temperature. The grid-injected real the reserve fraction is set as 0.2 to bring down the
power under various irradiations was simulated under MPP power and equalize it to the required grid power.
a fixed panel temperature of 25 ℃ with zero reserve Similarly, at 1.5 s, the estimated MPP power is 150 W,
fraction. The proposed technique tracked the estimated which is equal to the grid power to be injected. Hence,
maximum power corresponding to the irradiation, and the reserve fraction is set as ‘zero’ to feed the grid with
the same power was injected into the AC grid through a power of 150 W.
the inverter, as depicted in Fig. 7. The variation of the To demonstrate the effect of simultaneous changes
MPP and grid injected power with respect to in parameters such as irradiation, temperature, and the
irradiation and zero reserve fraction under a change in reserve ratio, the simulation is carried out for various
temperature are plotted in Fig. 8. In these cases, the values, and the same is plotted in Fig. 10. It can be
tracking of the controller is sufficiently fast to seen from the figure that the dynamic changes in all
 Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan et al.: A Two-stage Single-phase Grid-connected Solar-PV System with Simplified Power Regulation 87

the parameters are considered while designing the purpose, the variation of both voltages was plotted by
control scheme and the above-mentioned parameters. varying the irradiation and temperature, which
confirmed that for all the combinations of the
operating parameters (irradiation, temperature, and
reserve fraction), Vpv is higher than Vmp, as shown in
Fig. 12.

Fig. 9 Variation in maximum power estimation and grid

power under varied irradiation at constant temperature 25 ℃
with reserve fraction Fig. 11 Operating power points of solar-PV under varied
irradiation and reserve fraction

Fig. 12 Comparison of MPP(Vmp) and solar-PV(Vpv) voltage

with respect to irradiation and temperature

Fig. 10 Variation in maximum power estimation and grid Tab. 4 enumerates the duty cycle validation during
power under varied irradiation and temperature with the change various irradiation and reserve fractions. It can be
in reserve fraction observed that whenever the reserve fraction is given
by the grid operator, the designed PI controller
To validate the RHS operation under various
regulates the power (Ppv) from the estimated power
operating conditions, the power versus voltage
(Pmp) for any particular irradiation and temperature.
characteristics are plotted with the corresponding RHS
Hence, Ppv decreases as the corresponding duty cycle
and LHS points in Fig. 11. The difference in the
increases. It is observed and validated that Vpv operates
change in operating voltage with respect to the shift in
in the RHS of PV characteristics during reserve
P'pv for the change in reserve fraction is minimal when
fraction (Res).
the shift occurs in the RHS compared to the LHS.
These operations reduce the voltage stress on the Tab. 4 Duty cycle validation during reserve operation
DC-DC converter and help improve the settling time Irradiation/
Temp./℃ Res. (%) Pmp/W Ppv /W Duty cycle
(W/m2)
of the overall controller. From Tab. 1, the relationship
1 000 25 0 250 250 0.90
between Vmp and Vpv should be verified to ensure the
1 000 25 0.20 250 250 0.94
RHS operation under all possible environmental
800 25 0 200 200 0.86
conditions. Vmp being less than Vpv confers the RHS
800 25 0.25 200 150 0.91
operation under specific operating conditions. For this
 88 Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering, Vol.8, No.1, March 2022

Fig. 13 depicts the Vmp and Vpv values for reserve The experimental results of the proposed algorithm
fractions between 0 and 4 %. When the reserve with the real solar-PV panels are shown in Figs. 16
fraction is zero, Vmp becomes equal to Vpv. It is and 17. It is observed that the experimental results
2
observed that whenever there is an increase in the reserve obtained for the available irradiations of 615 W/m
2
fraction, the corresponding Vpv values also increase. This and 725 W/m with panel temperature and reserve
observation validates the effectiveness of the proposed fraction are in close correspondence with the
active power regulation without the involvement of any simulated results for the same conditions.
complex mathematical operation and implementation
compared to the methods in the literature.

Fig. 16 Change in SPV power (Ppv) under varied operating

conditions (605 W/m2)

Fig. 13 Vmp and Vpv for various radiation and reserve fractions

The proposed method of MPP estimation and the

traditional MPPT method of P&O are compared here with
respect to ripple content in the SPV output power (Ppv)
and voltage (Vpv) in Figs. 14. and 15, respectively. The
obtained results show that the ripples in Ppv and Vpv are
marginally reduced in the MPP estimation method.
Fig. 17 Change in SPV power (Ppv) under varied operating
conditions (715 W/m2)

The performance of the DC-AC converter with the

associated PQ controller is validated by plotting the
change in the grid current with respect to time, as shown
in Fig. 18. The grid injected current at zero reserves (for
conditions mentioned in Fig. 8) and with different
non-zero reserve fractions (for conditions mentioned in
Fig. 14 Comparison between MPP estimation and P&O for Fig. 10) are compared and depicted in Fig. 18. Because
Ppv power ripple the grid voltage is kept constant, the trace of change in the
grid current is very well seen with respect to the change in
irradiation, temperature, and reserve fraction.
Whenever a grid-tied inverter is implemented, it is
essential to study the quality of the current injected
into the grid in terms of shape and total harmonic
distortion (THD). The current waveform is shown in
Fig. 19, and the corresponding frequency spectrum
with a THD of 2.32 %, as shown in Fig. 20, validates
Fig. 15 Comparison between MPP estimation and P&O for the design of the power quality controller and filter. In
Vpv ripple Fig. 19, the injected grid current is in phase with the
 Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan et al.: A Two-stage Single-phase Grid-connected Solar-PV System with Simplified Power Regulation 89

grid voltage, which confirms the zero reactive power controller. The dynamic variations in the
at the grid terminals. MPP-estimated data and PV actual output data were
stored in the NI-myRIO data logger and plotted using
Matlab. The grid-side parameters such as grid voltage,
current, real power, reactive power, and power factor
were captured using a Fluke-make single-phase power
quality analyzer.

Fig. 18 Grid injected current corresponding to the various

irradiation, temperature, and reserve fraction

Fig. 21 Experimental setup for a two-stage single-phase

grid-connected Solar-PV system
Fig. 19 Grid voltage in p.u. and grid injected current
The MPP estimated power computed through
simulation and inferred in the hardware under varied
irradiation for a given temperature is plotted in Fig. 22.
Fig. 23 shows the variation of grid power with respect
to irradiation under a constant temperature of 25 ℃
captured in the simulation as well as in the hardware.
Because the reserve fraction in both cases is
considered to be zero, for all irradiations, the MPP
estimated power should be equal to the grid power, as
shown in Figs. 22 and 23. It is observed that both
simulation and hardware results closely match, which
validates the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Fig. 20 THD in grid current

The simulation results reported above (From Figs.

7-20) were validated with the help of hardware
experimentation in the forthcoming section.

6 Experimental studies

Fig. 21 depicts the two-stage single-phase grid-

connected solar-PV inverter in which a Chroma-make
solar simulator of 250 Wp is used instead of a solar
panel. The proposed MPP estimation and essential
control were programmed in an NI-myRIO digital
controller. The variation of irradiation and temperature Fig. 22 Comparison of simulation and hardware results for
is given as inputs to the solar simulator, and the variation in maximum power estimation under various
reserve fraction is given through the NI-myRIO irradiation at 25 ℃ with zero reserve fraction
 90 Chinese Journal of Electrical Engineering, Vol.8, No.1, March 2022

point inferred through the solar simulator display were

used. In Fig. 25, it is shown that the operating points
are shifted from the MPP to the right-hand side when a
nonzero reserve fraction is introduced. Fig. 25a depicts
the operating point at which the grid power equals the
MPP estimated power at ‘zero’ reserve. Figs. 25b and
25c prove that the operating point in the PV
characteristics is on the right-hand side for irradiation
2 2
of 1 000 W/m and 600 W/m with reserve fractions of
0.4 and 0.2, respectively. The same temperature (35 ℃)
was maintained for all three operating conditions, as
Fig. 23 Comparison of hardware and simulation results for
shown in Figs. 25a-25c.
grid power under varied irradiation and MPP estimation power
with zero reserve fraction

As shown in Fig. 24, the grid power computed in

the simulation and experimental setup was compared.
They vary according to the given operating conditions,
such as irradiation, temperature, and reserve fraction.
The reserve power is the difference between the
MPP-estimated power and the actual grid power, as
shown in Fig. 24. The response time of the
experimental setup for the change in the reserve
fraction was very close to the response in the
simulation. This validates the effective design of the
hardware circuit and the speed of the controller for
dynamic changes in the operating parameters.

Fig. 24 Results of grid power and estimated MPP power under

varied irradiation and temperature with the change in reserve
fraction Fig. 25 Solar-PV operating point under varied irradiation and
temperature with the change in reserve fraction
The right-hand side operation of the solar-PV in its
power characteristics has been claimed as a desirable The dynamic variations in the solar-PV voltage and
operation under non-zero reserve conditions. To current corresponding to the given changes in
validate the same in the proposed power control operating conditions are shown in Fig. 26. This figure
algorithm, the power characteristics with the operating reveals the right-hand side operating point in the PV
 Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan et al.: A Two-stage Single-phase Grid-connected Solar-PV System with Simplified Power Regulation 91

characteristics, which is inferred by an increase in

7 Conclusions
voltage while the reserve fraction is introduced.
The proposed simplified active power control with reserve
fraction over the entire operating range from near-zero to
100 % of the available MPP was tested and reported for
various operating conditions. The RHS operating point of
the SPV was maintained under all operating conditions
with a specified reserve fraction. This was validated by
observing the operating voltage of the SPV, along with the
results obtained through the solar simulator. Further, the
power quality was ensured at the grid terminals in the
proposed scheme by maintaining the THD and zero
reactive power exchange. The essential findings and
Fig. 26 PV output voltage and current under varied irradiation
results required for supporting the proposed scheme were
and reserve fraction
provided by modeling and simulating a grid-connected
In Figs. 27 and 28, the parameters related to the grid 250 Wp solar-PV system. Subsequently, experimental
are elucidated using a single-phase power quality results obtained by implementing a prototype setup with
analyzer to understand the impact of the proposed the same specifications in the laboratory helped to validate
algorithm implemented in the experimental prototype. the effectiveness of the proposed active power regulation
The particular recording is carried out by keeping scheme.
2
1 000 W/m , 25 ℃ with ‘zero’ reserve, and it is noticed
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[8] S Wang, Q Chen, W Gao. An improved analytical solution [17] E Batzelis, G Kampitsis, S Papathanassiou. Power
for MPP parameters of photovoltaic cells. Solar Energy, reserves control for PV systems with real-time MPP
2018, 174(1): 848-854. estimation via curve fitting. IEEE Transactions on

[9] G Farivar, B Asaei, S Mehrnami. An analytical solution Sustainable Energy, 2017, 8(3): 1269 -1280.

for tracking photovoltaic module MPP. IEEE J.

Ganesh Moorthy Jagadeesan received his
Photovoltaics, 2013: 1053-1061. B.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from
[10] H Yatimi, E Aroudam. Assessment and control of a Saranathan college of Engineering, Trichy and

photovoltaic energy storage system based on the robust sliding M.E. degree in Solar Energy from College of
Engineering, Guindy, Chennai, and He is
mode MPPT controller. Solar Energy, 2016, 139: 557-568.
currently working towards his Ph.D at the solar
[11] T K Roy, M A Mahmud. Active power control of photovoltaic converter topologies and grid
three-phase grid-connected solar-PV systems using a connected PV systems at National Institute of
robust nonlinear adaptive backstepping approach. Solar Technology, Tiruchurappalli, India.

Energy, 2017, 153: 64-76. Raja Pitchaimuthu obtained his M.Tech. degree
[12] L Hassaine, E Olías, J Quintero, et al. Power control for in Energy Systems from Indian Institute of
grid-connected applications based on the phase shifting of Technology Madras, Chennai in 2002 and Ph.D.
degree from National Institute of Technology,
the inverter output voltage with respect to the grid voltage.
Tiruchirappalli in 2013. He is presently an
International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Associate Professor in the Department of
Systems, 2014, 57: 250-260. Electrical and Electronics Engineering at National
[13] A Sangwongwanich, Y Yang, F Blaabjerg. A cost-effective Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli at India
where he has been since 2006. His field of interest is design and
power ramp-rate control strategy for single-phase
development of controllers for power converters used in solar and wind
two-stage grid-connected photovoltaic systems. IEEE
energy conversion systems. He also does research in the development of
Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE), protection schemes for transmission and distribution systems. He is a
Milwaukee, WI, 2016: 1-7. Senior Member in IEEE, Life Member of ISTE and Institution of
Engineers (India).
[14] A Sangwongwanich, Y Yang, F Blaabjerg. High-
performance constant power generation in grid-connected Moorthi Sridharan is a faculty in the
PV systems. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Department of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering, National Institute of Technology,
2016, 31(3): 1822-1825.
Trichy, India, since 2007 and is associated with the
[15] A Sangwongwanich, Y Yang, F Blaabjerg. A sensorless
VLSI Systems Research Laboratory in the same
power reserve control strategy for two-stage department. He completed his Ph.D in the area of
grid-connected PV systems. IEEE Transactions on Power VLSI for Communication Circuits during 2008 at

Electronics, 2017, 32(11): 8559-8569. Anna University, Chennai. Further, he is a

Post-Doctoral fellow of Erasmus Mundus External Co-operation Window
[16] A M Howlader, S Sadoyama, L R Roose, et al. Active
initiated under EURINDIA Programme in which he has done Post-Doctoral
power control to mitigate voltage and frequency research on Memory Design for Reconfigurable Architectures at Royal
deviations for the smart grid using smart PV inverters. Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden. His research interests include
Applied Energy, 2020, 258: 114000. VLSI for signal processing and embedded systems.