Evaluation of the performance of a controller based on indirect-sliding mode in a renewable system

Abstract

One of the challenges in photovoltaic and fuel cell systems is the issue of DC voltage imbalance. To solve this problem, a modular structure based on a three-level boost converter is investigated. This proposed system is suitable for both photovoltaic and fuel cell systems. The input source in this structure can be a fuel cell or photovoltaic panel. The controller used is based on an indirect sliding model in which the input current is adjusted for each module, and the output capacitors are balanced in voltage. For this, two sliding surfaces for current and two sliding surfaces for voltage are used. The studied system is simulated with the help of MATLAB/Simulink software. The performance of the studied system with and without the presence of a voltage controller is studied. The importance of the voltage controller and its effect on capacitor voltages is demonstrated. Simulation results show that this controller is able to balance the voltage of output capacitors.