MPPT Integrated High Gain DC-DC Converter for PV-fed Three Phase Induction Motor Drive

Induction motors are dominant driving horses in industrial drives due to their ease of control and low maintenance even though numerous types of highly efficient electrical motors are available in the market. The global energy demand is exponentially increasing day by day and still major share of the energy demand are met from the fossil fuels. The fossil fuels are diminishing very quickly in the natural reserve, hence adaption of renewable energy sources(RES) in power sector is happening rapidly. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems are best suited in this regard with low maintenance cost and environmental friendly operation. But the low voltage PV input is usually not enough to drive an high power induction motors in industrial applications. So a high gain DC-DC converter is unavoidable in these PV systems. These type of boost converters achieves the required level of output voltage. The Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm can also be integrated for the maximum utilisation of PV input. This paper presents an efficient PV-fed high gain DC-DC converter for a three-phase inverter of an induction motor drive. The PnO MPPT algorithm is used to control the input DC-DC converter. The simulation analysis shows this system can perform satisfactorily under variations in PV and load conditions.