Behavioral modeling of grid-connected photovoltaic inverters: Development and assessment

This paper describes and assesses a behavioral model for grid-connected photovoltaic inverters. The model allows us to simulate the electrical behavior of commercial single-phase and three-phase inverters in accordance with the limits of EN50160 power quality. Regarding power strategies for current inverters, both voltage and current control loops have been explicitly modeled, providing suitable simulations of the injected AC-current waveform under either power dynamics or grid voltage disturbances. Additionally, irradiance oscillations and dynamic Maximum Power Point Tracking performance have been also considered in the proposed solution. Internal inverter variables are not needed to fit the model parameters, being estimated from basic data-sheet information provided by manufacturers and simple AC-collected values from the PV power plants. This characteristic avoids any additional DC-side measurement, being a significant contribution in comparison with previous approaches.