An Approach to Dynamic Behaviour of a Grid Connected PV System During Symmetrical Short Circuit Fault

Impacts of short circuit faults on dynamic performance of the conventional power system are well researched and fully understood. However, regarding to the renewable energy technologies there are lots of questions yet to be addressed. This paper studies the dynamic behaviour of a grid connected photovoltaic (PV) system under symmetrical short circuit fault using MATLAB Simulink environment. A control system was developed based on Perturb and Observation algorithm for maximum power point tracking. A control strategy was also developed for the Voltage Source Converter (VSC) to achieve a THD level as defined in IEEE standard 519. The system stability was evaluated using the respective control system. The dynamic performance of the system was studied subjected to symmetric fault. The key finding is that the stability of the system was affected at different points during the fault period. Nevertheless, the system regained its stability after the fault was cleared.