Development of a Monitoring System Based on LabVIEW and MATLAB for a Hybrid Power Supply

This paper provides the development of a monitoring system for a hybrid power supply which consists of different energy resources, namely, a photovoltaic array controlled via maximum power point subsystem and a fuel cell stack controlled via Proportional Integral Differential/Proportional Integral (PID/PI) subsystems and operating in ON and OFF grid modes. An energy storage system (super-capacitor, battery bank and hydrogen) controlled through DC-DC power converter embedded with PID/PI controllers is also integrated in the proposed test-bed. The proposed system is designed in two stages. In the stage one, real time weather pattern, such as solar irradiance and temperature, are measured online through the internet from the weather station using LabVIEW. In the stage two, the modelling, control and energy management of the hybrid power supply are performed in MATLAB. The overall scheme of the proposed system is performed through classical-based monitoring switching control system which maximizes the use of alternative energy resources and reduces stress on the utility for 24 hours. The proposed system uses real weather data and load demand. Simulation work concludes the effectiveness of the proposed test-bed.