Design, Control and Validation of a PV System Based on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Viewer in Smartgrids

The performance and output of PV cells depends upon different factors: irradiance, shaded modules, shadow, temperature, inverter capability, wind speed, wind direction and the number of PV installed are one of them. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is required to control various effects caused by one of the aforementioned factors. Researchers have employed many MPPT techniques. However, these techniques showed some limitations such as slow response and inability to be remotely controlled. This has been observed during the higher number of PV grid connected inverters installed in some regions of Rwanda where the power generated via peak conditions sometimes exceeds the transmission capacity limits. In this case, the classical MPPT cannot respond efficiently. With the aim to alleviate these issues, the paper uses perturb and observe MPPT with SCADA viewer software so that inverter can operate with its design limits. This involves the de-rating and control of inverter capability curve. The derating and control of an inverter capability curve are one of strategies to mitigate the above-mentioned problem in order to stabilize voltage and restricts harmonic current injection to utility grid. This paper shows a designed model that was simulated in Matlab with MPPT which is perturb and observe (P&O) and experimentally validated. In addition to Rwanda utility grid, the experimental set up used a SCADA viewer and communication tools to acquire data concerning the PV system. This allowed to perform the following tasks: automatic data acquisition, notification of voltage variation and display active and reactive power being sent or being consumed, grid fault detection, islanded mode detection and remotely shut down the system as long as Wide Local Area Network (WLAN) is present. The experimental results showed that any design of grid connected inverter having any type of MPPT technique must have a capability curve to figure out the operating zones of the inverter in different circumstances and specified the tolerance range of crucial parameters with its validation through SCADA viewer software.