A Novel Back to Back Inverter Configuration for Solar Water Pumping and Grid-Tie Application

Abstract

The use of photovoltaic (PV) as an energy source for pumping water is one of the most promising areas of photovoltaic applications. Solar water pumps are eco-friendly substitutes for diesel and grid powered water pumps. They provide better energy efficiency compared to diesel and grid powered pumps and also gives zero-carbon foot print during their use, promoting a healthy and a more sustainable environment. But PV being an unreliable source, prediction of water output is not possible. Further if photovoltaic array generates more power than the load requirement, the excess power is not harvested and when the demand is not met sufficient water is not pumped out. To mitigate this problem this paper presents a back to back voltage source converter (VSC) configuration increasing reliability, robustness and efficiency of the entire system. A new control strategy for back to back VSC for switching between grid-tie and active power factor correction (APFC) mode based on the natural power balance is presented to optimize energy utilisation and ensure maximum water output at all times. Detailed simulation studies are carried out using MATLAB/Simulink to verify the effectiveness of proposed scheme. � 2018 IEEE.