Ecosense Installs Solar PV Emulator at NIT, Andhra Pradesh


Ecosense Installs Solar PV Emulator at Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh.


Department of Electrical Engineering, NIT, AP is established with the vision to nurture globally competent electrical engineers in research and innovation through quality education and cutting-edge technologies for the betterment of society. The department is already working in Smart Grid and Microgrid technology and added Solar PV Emulator in their lab portfolio.


Ecosense’s Solar PV Emulator


Ecosense’s PV Emulator is a programmable power supply designed to emulate solar panels. With fast transient response, the emulator responds to change in load conditions and maintains the output IV characteristics of the user defined panel for a given ambient condition. It is a flexible instrument designed to emulate the output of solar panels, with adjustable parameters such as Voc, Isc, shading, coefficient of temperature etc.


The PV Emulator uses an internal algorithm to adjust Voc (Open circuit voltage) and Isc (short-circuit current) so as to match the solar panel selected by the user based on user defined parameters such as Irradiation, temperature, Voc, Isc, temperature coefficient etc. The Emulator makes sure the response matches that of the actual panel under all the load conditions within range. The user is presented with a complete set of information with tables and plots on user application.


Using PV Emulator, a user is able to see the response of Solar PV Panel as per his/her own set of user defined parameters.


User can select or change the following parameters as per his/her need and will be able to see results immediately:


• Open Circuit Voltage
• Short Circuit Voltage
• Temperature coefficient
• Complete shading
• Partial Shading
• Series Resistance
• Area of Panel
• Diode quality factor
• Operating Temperature

Software Features


I-V and P-V characteristics

1. User can input his/her own Solar Cell/Panel voltage and current and realize their actual output.



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2. User can change irradiation and temperature data to see the difference in output.



NIT AP



3. User can change Temperature coefficient to see the difference



NIT AP



Partial Shading


1. User can see the shading effect by defining shading region by varying G1, G2, G3, G4.



NIT AP



Changing in-built parameters


2. User can change series resistance of a Solar panel and see the effect on I-V and P-V characteristics of that panel.



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3. User can also change Area of a Solar panel and see how it affects the efficiency.


4. User can also test an MPPT controller or a Grid Tied Inverter with an in-built MPPT algorithm using Grid Tied Test function and compare how close that algorithm is to Maximum power point.


Benefits of using PV Emulator


• User controlled, cost effective way to test response of PV system for wide range of solar panels
• Simulate the I-V curve under varying environmental conditions
• Test and verify different parameters of PV system like – MPPT tracking algorithm of PV inverter, efficiency of MPPT tracking
• Measure and verify the overall efficiency and conversion efficiency of PV inverter for variety of solar panels and in varying weather conditions
• Does not require external setup for data monitoring and data acquisition. LCD displays output characteristics and software application presents user with tables, plots and simulation parameters

Master’s Training Conducted



Master's Training Conducted



After successful installation of system, 1-day master’s training program is conducted. This master’s training was focused on how to efficiently utilize the system in core-curriculum development and practical experimentations.



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