Comparative Analysis of Robustness and Tracking Efficiency of Maximum Power Point in Photovoltaic Generators, Using Estimation of the Maximum Power Point Resistance by Irradiance gMeasurement Processing.

The model-based methods of maximum power point (MPP) tracking in photovoltaic installations are widely known. One of these methods proposes the use of tracking by direct estimation of the maximum power point resistance using irradiance measurement processing. It proposes six different models for this estimate. In the present work, an exhaustive analysis to determine the robustness and accuracy of the different models was carried out. To perform the analysis, irradiance data sets, used to fit the parameters of the models, were collected. In addition, tests were done to determine MPP tracking accuracy of each of the six models. To carry out the tests, all models were compared with a widely used maximum power point tracking algorithm, perturb & observe, for different values of irradiance, temperature, and load.

Integration of Sensors, Controllers and Instruments Using a Novel OPC Architecture.

The interconnection between sensors, controllers and instruments through a communication network plays a vital role in the performance and effectiveness of a control system. Since its inception in the 90s, the Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) protocol has provided open connectivity for monitoring and automation systems. It has been widely used in several environments such as industrial facilities, building and energy automation, engineering education and many others. This paper presents a novel OPC-based architecture to implement automation systems devoted to R&D and educational activities. The proposal is a novel conceptual framework, structured into four functional layers where the diverse components are categorized aiming to foster the systematic design and implementation of automation systems involving OPC communication. Due to the benefits of OPC, the proposed architecture provides features like open connectivity, reliability, scalability, and flexibility. Furthermore, four successful experimental applications of such an architecture, developed at the University of Extremadura (UEX), are reported. These cases are a proof of concept of the ability of this architecture to support interoperability for different domains. Namely, the automation of energy systems like a smart microgrid and photobioreactor facilities, the implementation of a network-accessible industrial laboratory and the development of an educational hardware-in-the-loop platform are described. All cases include a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to automate and control the plant behavior, which exchanges operative data (measurements and signals) with a multiplicity of sensors, instruments and supervisory systems under the structure of the novel OPC architecture. Finally, the main conclusions and open research directions are highlighted.