An Innovative Model-Based Algorithm for Power Control Strategy of Photovoltaic Panels

The rise of renewable energy has expanded the impact of the photovoltaic (PV) systems in the grid, and their presence is expected to grow in the next years. Crucial challenges must be faced in the new operation control and planning by also forcing photovoltaic power to adhere to primary regulation. To achieve this task, it is necessary for PV plants to emulate the inertial response of conventional generators by adding the feature to operate outside the maximum power point (MPP) and vary its power production according to grid request. In this paper, an innovative model-based (MB) algorithm devoted to frequency regulation is presented. Thanks to the new formulation, the algorithm can vary the power curtailment according to a reduction factor given by the power system operators. Results show the remarkable accuracy of the new MB algorithm in the power prediction over an observation interval of more than six months.