Modeling and Fuzzy MPPT Controller Design for Photovoltaic Module Equipped with a Closed-Loop Cooling System

• Published in: Journal of electronic materials 2019-09, Vol.48 (9), p.5471-5480
• Main Authors: Bechouat, M., Sedraoui, M., Feraga, C.-E., Aidoud, M., Kahla, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Control systems design; Controllers; Cooling systems; Curve fitting; Electronics and Microelectronics; Fuzzy control; Fuzzy logic; High temperature; Instrumentation; Irradiance; Lookup tables; Materials Science; Maximum power tracking; Modules; Optical and Electronic Materials; Photovoltaic cells; Progress and Challenges for Emerging Integrated Energy Modules; Solar cells; Solid State Physics; Temperature; Water tanks
• ISSN: 0361-5235; 1543-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11664-019-07243-1

Electrical energy generated by a photovoltaic (PV) panel depends heavily on two climatic conditions: total solar irradiance and absolute temperature. If high intensity of the solar illumination contributes positively to increasing electrical power, a high degree of absolute temperature has, by contrast, a negative effect on its electrical characteristic. In this paper, the electrical efficiency provided by a conventional PV panel is enhanced using the proposed photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panel. The latter contains serpentines fed by a water tank, which allows cooling its PV cells at high temperature. Accordingly, the desired enhancement needs two main requirements: an efficient PVT panel model that accurately describes the actual PVT panel behavior and an efficient controller that correctly tracks the maximum power point tracking (MPPT). For this reason, a number of experimental test data is firstly recorded from an actual ISOFOTON I-50-PVT module under different climatic conditions. Afterward, the recorded data are fitted by the Curve Fitting Toolbox (CF-Tool), creating therefore a 2-dimensional lookup table, used in the following step. Next, the fuzzy logic control (FLC) strategy is employed to synthesize the proposed MPPT-FLC controller, which should ensure a good extraction of the maximal electrical power. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed MPPT-FLC controller based on a 2-dimensional lookup table, the obtained performance is compared, in terms of electrical power and duty cycle, to those provided by an MPPT-FLC controller for a conventional PV panel in various climatic conditions.