The hardware in the loop (HIL) technique allows you to reproduce the behavior of a dynamic system or part of it in real time. This quality makes HIL a useful tool in the controller validation process and is widely used in multiple areas including photovoltaic systems (PVSs). This study presents the development of an HIL system to emulate the behavior of a PVS that includes a photovoltaic panel (PVP) and a DC-DC boost converter connected in series. The emulator was embedded into an NI-myRIO development board that operates with an integration time of 10 µs and reproduces the behavior of the real system with a mean percent error of 2.0478%, compared to simulation results. The implemented emulator is proposed as a platform for the validation of control systems. With it, the experimental stage is carried out on two controllers connected to the PVS without having the real system and allowing to emulate different operating conditions. The first controller is based on the Hill Climbing algorithm for the maximum power point tracking (MPPT), the second is a proportional integral (PI) controller for voltage control. Both controllers generate settling times of less than 3 s; the MPPT controller generates variations in the output in steady state inherent to the algorithm used. For both cases, the comparison of the experimental results with those obtained through software simulation show that the platform fulfills its usefulness when evaluating control systems.
This article presents the development of a platform for the validation of controllers applied to photovoltaic systems (PVS) interconnected with the main grid (MG), integrating simulation real-time Hardware in the Loop (HIL) and Internet of Things (IoT). The proposed platform is made up of 5 parts: 1) a control HIL emulator (CHILE) that reproduces the behavior of a photovoltaic array, a power electronic converter for interconnection with the MG, and AC loads, 2) a cloud database implemented in ThingSpeak, 3) a smart sensor (SS) that monitors the behavior of AC loads, 4) a residential PVS with internet connection, and 5) an Android application for remote monitoring. The data generated by the residential system and the SS are stored in the database and from this information the CHILE reproduces its behavior in real time. The CHILE generates the variables related to the behavior of the PVS and transfers this information to the database. The mobile application allows users to view the behavior of the platform remotely. The usefulness of the platform is verified with a controller for the maximum power point tracking and the interconnection of the system with the MG in a 24-hour experiment, during which the behavior of the residential PVS and the AC loads are reproduced in the CHILE. The platform successfully emulates the behavior of the installed PVS with a mean relative error of 0.42 % and the AC load with a mean absolute error of 10 mA. Regarding data transfer in the IoT network, a mean time response of the server of 441.9 ms was observed without data loss during the 24-hours experiment.INDEX TERMS Control Hardware in the Loop, IoT, Photovoltaic System.
This article presents the development of a low-cost control hardware in the loop platform for the validation and analysis of controllers used for the management of power sharing between the main grid and a DC microgrid. The platform is made up of two parts: a main grid interconnection system emulator (MGISE) and a controller under test (CUT). The MGISE operates on a 260 V DC bus and includes a 1000 W photovoltaic array, a DC variable load and a single H full bridge converter (HFBC). The CUT includes a phase locked loop and a main cascade control structure composed of two PI controllers. Both the MGISE and the CUT were embedded on an NI myRIO-1900 development board and programmed using LabVIEW virtual instrumentation software. These devices communicate with each other using analog signals representing the AC side current, the DC side voltage, and the HFBC control signal. The MGISE operates with an integration time of 6 µs and its performance is validated by comparing it with a simulation in PSIM. The integration time of the MGISE, the development boards used, as well as its programming environment, and the results obtained from the comparison with PSIM simulation, show that the proposed platform is useful for the validation of controllers for power sharing, with a simple implementation process compared to other hardware description methods and with a low-cost platform.
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