Speed control of a PV powered DC motor driving a self-excited 3-phase induction generator for maximum utilization efficiency

Photovoltaic (PV) powered DC motors driving dedicated loads (e.g. water pumps) are increasingly used in the remote rural areas of many developing countries. The key to their success is simplicity (direct coupling, no DC-AC conversion, no storage batteries, etc.). Because of the relatively high cost of the PV array, the system designer is interested in maximizing its utilization efficiency. A PV powered DC motor can also be used to drive a three-phase self-excited induction generator (SEIG). This arrangement is useful as part of an integrated renewable energy system (IRES), which takes advantage of the inherent diversity of wind and solar energy in most developing countries to improve power quality. The SEIG is driven by a wind-turbine, DC motor, or both. Another advantage of this arrangement is its versatile control characteristics through the DC motor control. This paper describes a technique to maximize the utilization efficiency of the PV array by controlling the field current of the DC motor through a DC chopper.