Single Stage Autonomous Solar Water Pumping System Using PMSM Drive

This article presents a single stage standalone solar photovoltaic (SPV) array fed water pumping system using a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). The vital contribution of this work includes: 1) development of the novel modified vector control, which improves the torque response of the system, 2) development of a novel single stage variable step size incremental conductance technique, which provides a fast maximum power point tracking and eliminates the need of intermediate stage dc–dc converter, and 3) introduction of SPV power feed-forward term, which accelerates the overall response of the system under dynamic conditions. This system includes a SPV array, a three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI), a PMSM and a pump. The SPV array converts solar energy into electrical energy. The VSI acts as power processing unit, which supplies desired currents to drive the PMSM. As the PMSM rotates, the pump coupled to the motor accomplishes the objective of water pumping. This system is modeled and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink with available simpower system toolbox and the behavior of the system under varying atmospheric conditions are validated experimentally on a developed prototype in the laboratory.

I. Introduction

Renewable energy (RE) generation and effective utilization of available energy resources, have emerged as an exemplary panacea for increasing carbon footprint, depleting fossil fuels, increasing global warming and changing climatic conditions [1]. Clean nature, noiseless operation, and abundant availability even at remote locations, have made the solar energy best form of RE available in the present scenario [2]. Decreasing capital cost, minimal maintenance cost, and zero operating cost, have made solar photovoltaic (SPV) system an excellent conceivable way to harness solar energy [3], [4]. Recently, SPV fed water pumping is receiving wider attention [5]. For areas having no accessibility to the grid and good solar insolation availability for most of the days in a year, the solar water pumping (SWP) is meeting the water requirement for daily basic activities [6]. Moreover, SWP is providing a great boost to agricultural and industrial activities [7], [8].