Hardware-in-the-Loop Testbed Development for Validating Novel Photovoltaic Battery Energy Storage System Concepts | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore

Hardware-in-the-Loop Testbed Development for Validating Novel Photovoltaic Battery Energy Storage System Concepts


Abstract:

This paper presents a real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup capable of experimentally emulating the coupling between lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic (PV) cell...Show More

Abstract:

This paper presents a real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup capable of experimentally emulating the coupling between lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic (PV) cells. The paper is motivated by earlier research showing that certain “hybrid” battery-PV integration topologies are inherently self-balancing, in the sense that differences in state of charge between battery cells diminish with time without the need for active balancing circuitry. The literature shows this self-balancing property using both theoretical analyses and simulation studies, but there is still a need for experimental demonstrations. Our goal in this paper is to validate this self-balancing property in a hybrid string experimentally. Towards this goal, we construct a HIL setup that physically emulates the voltage-current characteristics of three PV arrays and exposes three series-connected battery cells to these characteristics in real time. The setup uses an ARM microcontroller, together with three DC-DC converters and isolated serial communications, to achieve this emulation. Experiments conducted using this setup show that certain topologies for integrating PV cells with lithium-ion batteries are indeed self-balancing. Moreover, the setup provides the flexibility for exploring and testing other potential integration topologies and operating conditions.
Date of Conference: 10-12 July 2019
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 29 August 2019
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Conference Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA

I. Introduction

This paper develops a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup capable of experimentally emulating the coupling between electrochemical batteries and photovoltaic (PV) arrays in real time. The current work is motivated by earlier research that shows that certain PV-battery integration topologies exhibit self-balancing behavior, meaning that differences in state of charge (SOC) between battery cells diminish with time without the need for active balancing circuitry [1], [2]. The benefits of such self-balancing behavior are (i) a significant reduction in the power electronics for battery management, as well as (ii) the cost, complexity and bandwidth requirement for achieving PV maximum power point tracking (MPPT) [3], [4]. However, there is a need for a flexible setup for demonstrating these benefits in the laboratory. This paper develops a real time HIL setup that can emulate PV arrays of different power ratings under various environmental conditions. The power generated by these simulated PV arrays is applied to physical battery cells together with a customizable load profile applied to the overall PV-battery system. Thus, the overarching objectives of this paper are to: (i) develop a HIL setup that is flexible enough to emulate new PV-battery integration topologies and (ii) perform system-specific experimental studies for design and controller development.

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