Microcomputer-controlled simulator of a photovoltaic generator using a programmable voltage generator

Abstract A microcomputer-controlled simulator incorporating a programmable d.c. voltage generator, a programmable multimeter, and a power amplifier for physically simulating the power characteristics of solar photovoltaic generators based on a theoretical model are presented. Under software control in real time, with a linear interpolating interative technique, the operating points of a photovoltaic generator-load system are established with sufficient accuracy. The main feature of the simulator is its flexibility, since the influence of insolation, temperature and various array parameters on the array output characteristics can be readily simulated. Physical simulations of a given photovoltaic generator with a variable resistance and a motor-pump load, direct-coupled and with an adaptor, are presented as examples.