Real-time emulation of photovoltaic energy using adaptive state feedback control

The current paper presents an experimental validation of photovoltaic (PV) source emulation using a real-time dSpace controller. The PV source emulator is a nonlinear power electronic device used to provide in real-time the electrical behavior of PV panels by tracking the PV current–voltage (I–V) characteristic. It aims to deliver nearly the same current and voltage as an actual PV module without depending on atmospheric conditions. This innovative tool is able to aid researchers in PV systems to perform their tests and measurements at the desired weather parameters without time, space and cost constraints. The proposed PV emulator is based on a simple and efficient adaptive state feedback control that ensures good accuracy and high dynamic response compared to the existing commercial PV emulators based on the programmable power supply, which improves significantly the static and dynamic performances of existing PV emulators.