Design and Simulation of a 3 MW Photovoltaic Power Plant Using the MATLAB and Simulink Tools

The growing demand for energy in developing countries raises the energy security issue and leads to the need of using the potential of renewable resources. An analysis of the parameters characterizing the power output produced by grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can help in designing, operating, and maintaining new systems for generating electricity from the solar radiation energy. Simulation and analysis of PV energy conversion systems are necessary for solar power plant designers to perform studies that will make it possible to accurately predict the expected power output under varying weather conditions. The model helps predict the behavior and characteristics of a PV module based on the equivalent circuit implemented in a mathematical model using the Matlab/Simulink environment for various environment temperature and solar radiation values. The article addresses matters concerned with selecting the components of a PV electricity generation system and simulating it using the MATLAB/Simulink software. The power plant consists of PV panels connected in series and parallel, a DC-DC boost converter, and a three-phase inverter, which is connected, via a step-up transformer, to a 33 kV medium voltage network. The DC-DC boost converter control system uses a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller, and the inverter is controlled using a PI current controller.