Current Sensorless MPPT Control for PV Systems Based on Robust Observer

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the most used alternatives for electrical power generation from renewable sources. To ensure that PV systems make the most of the available solar energy, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) schemes must be implemented, which usually require voltage and current sensors to track the PV power. This paper presents the design of a robust observer using the Attractive Ellipsoid Method to achieve a precise estimation of PV current under parametric uncertainty and output perturbations. The application of such an observer enables the PV generation system to operate in a current sensorless mode, which reduces the overall cost of the system and enhances its reliability. The convergence of the observer is guaranteed by solving an optimization problem which generates the optimal gains using Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI). To prove the effectiveness of the proposed sensorless scheme, simulations are performed in Matlab under test profiles based on the EN50530 standard and parameter uncertainty conditions, obtaining an accurate estimation which is used for MPPT operation.