International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems (IJPEDS)

Vol. 12, No. 1, Mar 2021, pp. 612~626

ISSN: 2088-8694, DOI: 10.11591/ijpeds.v12.i1.pp612-626  612

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to

the three-phase grid based on backstepping and PSO technique

Salma Zouga1, Mohamed Benchagra2, Abdallah Ailane3

1,3 National
School of Applied Sciences, ISERT Laboratory, ENSA, Sultan Moulay Slimane Universiy, Khouribga,
Morocco
2 Superior School of Technology, EST-Benimellal, Sultan Moulay Slimane Universiy, Khouribga, Morocco

Article Info ABSTRACT

Article history: This article presents a robust non-linear control technique of the three-phase
photovoltaic system. The structure chosen for this PV system is that of two
Received May 19, 2020 power converters and DC voltage intermediate bus. The two power
Revised Jan 28, 2021 converters are: the DC-DC converter and the three-phase inverter, which
Accepted Feb 13, 2021 requires two main controllers. These controllers have three main objectives.
The first objective is to impose the PV voltage generated by the photovoltaic
panel, in order to follow a maximum reference voltage provided by the
Keywords: MPPT block. The second one is to maintain the DC link voltage to a constant
value, in order to optimize the transfer of energy between the two power
Backstepping control converters. The last objective is to inject a three-phase sinusoidal current into
Cascade regulation loops the grid, while respecting a unit power factor. With the intention to achieve
Lyapunov function control these three objectives, we designed cascading nonlinear controllers by using
Optimized algorithm the technique of non-linear backstepping control in the synthesis of these two
Three phase PV System controllers, based on the Lyapunov function, with regard to maximise the
PVG output voltage, in order to have a unitary power factor at the grid side.
In order to regulate DC-link voltage, we developed an integral proportional
controller (PI) with parameters that are optimized by the Particle Swarm
Optimization (PSO) method. The robustness of the controller designed
approach is tested by a simulation in MATLAB/Simulink software, that
improves the performances of each controller whatever conditions of climate.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license.

Corresponding Author:
Salma Zouga
National School of Applied Sciences
Sultan Moulay Slimane Universiy
927, AL Fath, Khouribga-Morocco
Email: [email protected]

1. INTRODUCTION
During the last decade, we cannot imagine a single day without electricity. We consume more and
more energy, and we want to produce it correctly. To meet this growing demand, we have been turning for
the last few years towards clean and renewable energies, to produce more and more, without destroying the
environment. Nowadays, more interest in photovoltaic energy (PV) has focused on photovoltaic systems
connected to the grid [1]. However, the operation of these photovoltaic systems is influenced by the variation
of weather conditions [2], the non-linearity of the switching functions of converters and inverters, and the
load variation [3]. The impact of these different factors poses the control of these systems in front of the
Different challenges to improve the performance and quality of the grid. Thus, it is essential to design robust
controllers which ensure the main objectives of control represented by the correction of the power factor,
regulation of the DC bus voltage and optimization of the power generated by the PV panel [4, 5].

Journal homepage: http://ijpeds.iaescore.com

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  613

In the literature, many studies have focused on the design methods of linear controllers for
photovoltaic systems connected to grid. Among these methods we can find: the classical PI controller
generally used in industry, because it is cheap, robust, and it is easy to implement [6], it produces good
results in linear systems. However, it has certain limitations, given thel uncertainties, and non-linear loads. In
[7, 8], the control based on a PR controller, has also shown the good continuation of the reference, thanks to
the infinite gain. Despite the usefulness of these linear controllers to achieve their objectives within a stable
operating range, these linear methods become insufficient, and unreliable in the presence of rapidly changing
operating conditions, including meteorological changes. For this reaon, the design of a control technique,
adequate to perturbations, and to the non- linearity become necessary.
A lot of researches have proposed robust non-linear control methods to ensure stability [9-11], from
PV systems connected to grid. The sliding mode controller (SMC) [12, 13], the predictive controller model
[14], and the feedback linearization technique FBL [15], are mentioned. Each of its approaches has its own
advantages, and disadvantages. The FBL technique offers the best performance over a wide range of
operating ranges but it cancels the nonlinearities of the system and becomes a linear subsystem. In addition,
this cancellation can be avoided by using a controller [16], based on the nonlinear Backstepping technique.
This method will be presented in this paper, in order to design an appropriate control law, to ensure the
overall stability of the system. Non-linear controller design, in cascade based on the Backstepping technique,
takes into consideration the following control objectives: i) regulate the voltage which supplies the
photovoltaic generator to extract the maximum power. ii) Phasing the voltages of the grid with the current by
regulating this last, and to assert a perfect correction to the power factor (PFC). In order to keep the DC bus
voltage at its desired reference value, a PI type controller based on a performing meta-heuristic algorithm
"particle swarm optimization" (PSO) has been developed to optimize the Kp and Ki parameters of the
controller. PSO is an optimization algorithm used in this paper to determine the parameters of the PI regulator
in order to regulate the DC bus voltage. [17]. Compared with several methods, including genetic algorithms
(GA), B-spline networks, fuzzy logic and neural networks [18], PSO has shown a better optimization, it is
based on a simple algorithm characterized by ease of implementation and robustness. This paper is structured
as follows: Section 2 presents the description of the system, and the mathematical model. Section 3 develops
the nonlinear control strategies of the proposed system. Section 4 shows the simulation results as well as an
analysis of these results. Finally, conclusion is giving in section 5.

2. DESCRIPTION AND MODELLING OF THE STUDIED SYSTEM

The following section presents the mathematical modeling of each component in the PV conversion
chain. As illustrated in Figure1, the general structure of the system consists of two power stages to manage
the PV power delivered to the utility grid. The first stage including a chopper that allows to extract the
maximum power generated by the PV panel, by regulating the output capacitor’s voltage to a constant value.
Besides it allows to achieve the MPPT control by forcing the photovoltaic panel to operate at the optimum
operating point despite the variation of environmental conditions. The second stage is represented by a three-
phase inverter whose main objective is to ensure the conversion of the DC power into an AC power injected
into the grid, and controls the output current.

Figure 1. Structure of the grid-connected photovoltaic system

In order to have a zero phase shift with the voltage of the grid in order to obtain a unity FP. The use
of the inductive filter L between the inverter and the three-phase grid is necessary, in order to minimize the
harmonic components in the inverter output current generated by the PWM control.

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to the three-phase grid … (Salma Zouga)
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A photovoltaic panel consists of several cells associated in series and in parallel, which are
electronic components that allow the transformation of light into electrical energy. The electrical
characteristics of a single module used in this study are listed in Table 1. While the adopted mathematical
model of a PV cell is shown in Figure 2, this model consists of a current generator 𝐼0 controlled by voltage,
and influenced by temperature and solar radiation, an anti-parallel diode D1, a shunt electrical resistance
𝑅𝑠ℎ, and a series resistance 𝑅𝑠 [19].

Figure 2. PV cell model

The relationship between PV current and PV output voltage is represented by the following
mathematical equation:
𝑉+𝑅𝑠 𝐼
𝑞 𝑉+𝐼 𝑅𝑠
I = I0 − ID [𝑒 𝑛𝐾𝑇𝐾 − 1] − (1)
𝑅𝑠ℎ

With I represent the light generated current, I0 the diode saturation current, TK the temperature of
cell, In K, n the ideal factor, q the charge of an electron, in C and K the Boltzman’s constant, in J/ K

Table 1 PV module parameters

Parameter Value
Maximum power 260W
Current at the maximum power point 8,37A
Voltage at the maximum power point 31,1V
Number of series modules 6
Number of parallel modules 1

The stabilization of the DC voltage 𝑉𝐷𝐶 and the convergence of this voltage to its reference value is
the objective of the developed control strategy. For this, obtaining a dynamic model of the DC/DC converter
[20] is essential by using the kirchhoff law where the DC-link capacitor and the 𝐶𝑝𝑣 capacitor are connected
and this can be written as:

dvpv 1
= (ipv − IL ) (2)
dt Cpv

diL 1
= [−R1 IL + vpv − (1 − μ)Vdc ] (3)
dt L1

dVdc 1
= [(1 − μ) − Idc ] (4)
dt Cdc

where 𝑣𝑝𝑣 and 𝑖𝑝𝑣 represent the generated PV output voltage and current, 𝑉𝑑𝑐 designates the DC link
voltage, 𝐼𝐿 and 𝐼𝑑𝑐 are respectively the input and output current chopper, and 𝜇 is the duty cycle [21].
The second conversion stage represented by the three-phase inverter is used to generate the three-
phase currents injected into the grid. The inverter is based on PWM control and is connected to the grid
through a bax pass filter. Whereas the dynamical model of voltage source inverter is expressed by the
following equations [22, 23]:

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Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  615

𝑑𝑖𝑎 𝑉𝑑𝑐
𝐿𝑓 = −𝑅𝑖𝑎 − 𝑒𝑎 + (2𝑆𝑎 − 𝑆𝑏 − 𝑆𝑐 ) (5)
𝑑𝑡 3

𝑑𝑖𝑏 𝑉𝑑𝑐
𝐿𝑓 = −𝑅𝑖𝑏 − 𝑒𝑏 + (- 𝑆𝑎 + 2𝑆𝑏 − 𝑆𝑐 ) (6)
𝑑𝑡 3

𝑑𝑖𝑐 𝑉𝑑𝑐
𝐿𝑓 = −𝑅𝑖𝑐 − 𝑒𝑐 + (- 𝑆𝑎 − 𝑆𝑏 + 2𝑆𝑐 ) (7)
𝑑𝑡 3

The previous model is transformed into a new reference frame according to the angular frequency of
the network, which allows us to rewrite the inverter model as follows:

dId Rf 1 Vdc
=− I + wIq − Ed + Sd (8)
dt Lf d Lf L

dIq Rf 1 Vdc
=− I − wId − Eq + Sq (9)
dt Lf q Lf L

Id and Iq are are the active and reactive currents; Ed and Eq are are the active and reactive grid
voltages; Sd and Sq are the switching control inputs.

3. CONTROLLERS DESIGN STEPS

In this section, we are interested in designing two robust controllers based on advanced
mathematical algorithms dedicated to non-linear systems. The first controller concerns the PV voltage, it
follows the maximum power point (MPPT) by two control loops, and regulates the voltage generated by the
PV generator. For the second controller is based on two cascaded loops, an internal regulation loop to control
the active and reactive power injected into the grid, and the external loop serves make the DC bus voltage
stable according to the desired reference voltage. The full model of the design of these controllers is shown in
the Figure 3, and it will be detailed in this section.

Figure 3. Nonlinear control scheme of the three-phase-grid connected photovoltaic system

3.1. PV output voltage controller design

The prinicipal goal of this regulator is to ensure the extraction of the maximum power generated by
the PV panel whatever the operating conditions. For this reason, the design of this controller aims to stabilize
the PV voltage at its reference value obtained by the MPPT algorithm based on incremental conductance
technique. This regulation of the PV voltage is ensured by the Backstepping technique applied to the
dynamics model (4), and based on the stabilization function of Lyapunov, the design of the controller is
developed in two steps [24].

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to the three-phase grid … (Salma Zouga)
616  ISSN: 2088-8694

In the first design step: we define the error between the voltage generated by the PV panel and its
reference by:

e1 = Vpv − Vpvref (10)

Where 𝑉𝑝𝑣𝑟𝑒𝑓 represents the voltage generated by the MPPT block which serves as a reference
voltage.
By replacing with (4) the derivative of (10), results the error dynamics, which is:
1
ė 1 = (ipv − IL ) − V̇pvref (11)
Cpv

To confirm the stability, Lyapunov candidate function (CLF) is calculated as:

1
V1 = e1 2 (12)
2

Its time derivative is given as follows:

V̇1 = e1 ė 1 (13)

If we consider 𝑒̇1 = −𝑘1 𝑒1 the derivative of CLF can be written as:

V̇1 = −k1 e1 2 (14)

Making 𝑉̇ negatively defined definite (𝑉1̇ < 0) or semi-definite (𝑉1̇ ≤ 0) allows to stabilize 𝑒̇1 and
to have a null convergence error. which makes it possible to write 𝑉1̇ in a simplified form:
1
V̇1 = (ipv − IL ) − V̇pvref = −k1 e1 (15)
Cpv

If we choose 𝐼𝐿 as virtual control input, we deduce the stabilizing function(𝛼 = 𝐼𝐿𝑟𝑒𝑓 ), which ensure
the asymptotic stability of the subsystem (17). And from (27) the desired value of the first virtual control can
be written as follows:

α = ipv − Cpv (Vpvref − k1 e1 ) (16)

As 𝐼𝐿 is not the final control input, and not always equal to the stabilizing function, in the following
a new error variable 𝑒2 between the virtual control 𝐼𝐿 and its desired value 𝛼 is introduced step to define the
final control input signal.
In the second design step: we define the error between the current and its reference value 𝛼 as:

e2 = IL − α (17)

Whose dynamics is based on the subsystem (18) and it can be expressed by:
1
ė 2 = [vpv − (1 − μ)Vdc − R1 IL ] − α̇ (18)
L

In contemplation of stabilizing the subsystems (4) and (5), we consider the second candidate Lyapunov
function:
1
V2 = V1 + e2 2 (19)
2

Before obtaining the derivation of the Lyapunov candidate Function 𝑉2 , it is necessary to simplify
the value of the derivative of 𝑉1̇ represented by (15). For this, the dynamics of the error 𝑒1 can be re-
expressed by:

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1 e2 α
ė 1 = i − − − V̇pvref (20)
Cpv pv Cpv Cpv

From (13), (16) and (20) the dynamics of tracking error 𝑒1 and Lyapunov function can be written as
follows:
e2
ė 1 = −k1 e1 − (21)
Cpv

e e
V̇1 = −k1 e1 2 − 1 2 (22)
Cpv

The time derivative of V2 is given by using the (19) and value of V̇1 ,:

e1
V̇2 = −K1 e1 2 + e2 (ė 2 − ) (23)
Cpv

If we set 𝑉2 < 0 or 𝑉2 ≤ 0, we can ensure the stability of the error derivative 𝑒2 ,and we can put:
𝑒1
−𝐾2 𝑒2 = 𝑒̇2 − (24)
𝐶𝑝𝑣

Where, 𝐾2 is a real positive design parameter, and the dynamics of the Lyapunov candidate function
becomes:

V̇2 = −K1 e1 2 − K 2 e2 2 ≤ 0 (25)

The equations (24) and (18) lead to:

1 𝑒1
−K 2 e2 = [vpv − (1 − μ)Vdc − R1 IL ] − 𝛼̇ − (26)
L 𝐶𝑝𝑣

By replacing (26) in the expression of the dynamics of CFL (25), we get the real control input signal
noted μ, that ensures the stability of the system (e1 , e2 ):

1 Le1
μ=1− (−R1 IL + vpv + LK 2 e2 − Lα̇ − ) (27)
Vdc Cpv

3.2. Active and reactive power controller design

The objective of this controller is to achieve a unity power factor by regulation of the direct and
quadratic component of the current 𝐼𝑑 , 𝐼𝑞 to be sinusoidal and in phase with the grid supply voltage. This
internal current regulation loop aims to make the current 𝐼𝑑 and 𝐼𝑞 present adequate values with its generated
reference values, in order to inject an optimal active power and zero reactive power.
The initial step of this controller is to define the tracking error between the active current and its reference
value by:

e3 = Id − Idref (28)

Where the reference current 𝐼𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑓 is generated by the external voltage regulation loop discussed in
the following section, and which is expressed as follow:

Idref = βEd (29)

With 𝛽 is any positive real constant generated by the outer voltage loop.

The time derivative of the tracking error between the active current and its reference value 𝑒3 , is
expressed by:
Rf 1 Vdc
ė3 = − I + wIq − Ed + Sd − İdref (30)
Lf d Lf Lf

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to the three-phase grid … (Salma Zouga)
618  ISSN: 2088-8694

Alternatively, we defined the tracking error between the reactive current and its reference value error as:

e4 = Iq − Iqref (31)

Using the value of 𝐼𝑞̇ , we can express the derivative of 𝑒4 by:

Rf 1 Vdc
ė 4 = − I − wId − Eq + Sq − İqref (32)
Lf q Lf Lf

The determination of the conditions on the control law requires the choice of the Lyapunov stability
function which allows to find the balancing point of the system. Thus, a new CLF is being considered which
makes it possible to deduce the control signals 𝑆𝑑 and 𝑆𝑞

1 1
V3 = V2 + e3 2 + e4 2 (33)
2 2

The derivative of this CLF is represented by:

V̇3 = V̇2 + e3 ė 3 + e4 ė 4 (34)

By replacing the values of V̇2 from (25), ė 3 from (30), and ė 4 from (32) into (34) yields we’ve got:

R 1 R
V̇3 = −K1 e1 2 − K 2 e2 2 + e3 ( f Id + wIq − (Ed − Vdc Sd ) − İdref ) + e4 ( f Iq − wId −
Lf Lf fL
1
(Ed − Vdc Sq ) − İqref ) (35)
Lf

to make the derivative of V3 negatively defined allows us to have a global stability of the system,
and this by choosing the following switching control laws:

𝐿𝑓 𝑅𝑓 𝐸
𝑆𝑑 = ( 𝐼 ̇
− 𝑤𝐼𝑞 + 𝐼𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑓 − 𝑘3 𝑒3 + 𝑑) (36)
𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝐿𝑓 𝑑 𝐿𝑓

𝐿𝑓 𝑅𝑓 𝐸𝑞
𝑆𝑞 = ( 𝐼 ̇
+ 𝑤𝐼𝑞 + 𝐼𝑞𝑟𝑒𝑓 − 𝑘4 𝑒4 + ) (37)
𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝐿𝑓 𝑞 𝐿𝑓

By using a derivative of the CLF, we can simplify the equation (35) as:

𝑉̇3 = −𝐾1 𝑒1 2 − 𝐾2 𝑒2 2 − 𝑘3 𝑒3 2 − 𝑘4 𝑒4 2 ≤ 0 (38)

This ensures a general stabilization related to the dynamic operation of the VSI, and which makes it
possible to inject an optimal value of the active power and a zero injection of the reactive power.

3.3. Design of DC-link voltage controller

The DC bus voltage control loop must ensure two control objectives the first is to keep this voltage
stable, and the second is to generate the active reference current. required for the internal current loop.
Therefore, the design of this controller based on a PI voltage loop, which has as inputs: the squared
of the DC bus voltage 𝑉𝑑𝑐 2 and its reference component 𝑉𝑑𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑓 2 , and which generates at its output a control
signal 𝛽 multiplied by grid voltage to determine the amplitude of the current injected into the grid. The block
diagram of the control loop is shown in Figure 4.
In closed loop, the tuning law 𝛽 is expressed by

𝛽 = (𝑉𝑑𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑓 2 − 𝑉𝑑𝑐 2 ). 𝐹 (𝑠) (39)

1
𝐹 (𝑠) is the transfer function of conventional PI controller, expressed by: 𝑘𝑝 + 𝑘𝑖 ∗ ( ).
𝑠
The determination of the control parameters 𝑘𝑖 and 𝑘𝑝 must be precise in order to ensure the optimal
stability point and a slower dynamic compared to the internal current loops, for this purpose the Particle
Swarm Optimization (PSO) control technique has been adopted which has become one of the favorites in
optimization algorithms solutions, thanks to its simplicity of implementation, its robustness and its capacity

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Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst ISSN: 2088-8694  619

to improve proportional integral (PI) performances, by searching for the best values in order to make the
error as small as possible or zero.

Figure 4. PSO algorithm based DC-link Voltage control loop

3.3.1. Particle swarm optimization algorithm

The PSO algorithm is considered one of the most excellent optimization methods that have
undergone many changes since its introduction in 1995, by Kennedy and Eberhart. PSO has proven robust in
solving continuous nonlinear optimization problems, its principle adopts a conventional swarm management
for birds. Each "bird" is represented by a particle. and represents a candidate solution to the optimization
problem. A swarm includes of S-particles flowing through a multidimensional search space, and each of its
particles adjust its position in search space according to its own experience and that of neighbouring
particles. Thus, a particle uses the good position encountered by itself and that of its neighbours particles to
position itself towards the most optimal solution. The second essential factor in this technique and which
allows each particle to change its position is the velocity information, which allows each particle during
updating process at every iteration to find its best and only solution.
every particle is represented as a point in a j-dimensional space. The ith particle is represented
as 𝑋𝑖 = (𝑥𝑖1 , 𝑥𝑖2 , … , 𝑥𝑖𝑗 ). The best previous position of ith particle swarm is represented as𝑃𝑖 =
(𝑝𝑖1 , 𝑝𝑖2 , … , 𝑝𝑖𝑗 ), this is called pbest. Thus, a particle uses the good position encountered by itself and that of
its neighbours particles to position itself towards the most optimal solution. The second essential factor in
this technique and which allows each particle to change.

Vij n+1 = w ∗ Vij n + r1 c1 (Pij n − Xij n ) + r2 c2 (Pgj n − Xij n ) (40)

Where 𝑤 is the inertia weight, 𝑐1 and 𝑐2 are acceleration coefficients, 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 are random numbers
uniformly distributed between 0 and 1, and 𝑛 represents the iteration number.
The new position of the particles is obtained on the basis of its velocity and its previous position:

𝑋𝑖𝑗 𝑛+1 = 𝑋𝑖𝑗 𝑛 + 𝑉𝑖𝑗 𝑛+1 (41)

The performance of each particle is measured using a predefined objective (fitness) function, which
define the characteristics of the optimization problem [25].

3.3.2. PI controller based on PSO technique

In this work, the PSO algorithm is used to determine the optimal values of 𝑘𝑖 and 𝑘𝑝 of the PI
controller. The implementation structure of the PSO technique for tuning the PI controller in the DC bus
control loop is represented in Figure 4, its performance evaluation based on the objective function defined by
the minimum time multiply squared error ITSE, and which can be represented by:
∞
ITSE = ∫0 t. e2 dt (42)

Where 𝑒 is the PI controller input that expressed the error between the square of the measured
voltage 𝑉𝑑𝑐 and the square of its reference value 𝑉𝑑𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑓 .

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to the three-phase grid … (Salma Zouga)
620  ISSN: 2088-8694

Figure 5. implementation algorithm of the PSO-PI controller method

The computational flowchart in Figure 5 represents the algorithm used in the implementation of the
PSO for the purpose of optimizing the parameters of the PI. The Parameters initialization at the beginning of
the PSO algorithm includes the maximum number of iterations 𝑛 that is equal to 100 iterations, the size of the
population 𝑖 that is considered by 30 individuals (particles) in the population, as well as the acceleration
coefficients 𝑐1 and 𝑐2 and the inertia weight 𝑤. Since the dimension of the problem concerns two parameters
𝑘𝑖 and 𝑘𝑝 to be controlled, the position and the velocity are represented by matrices with the dimension of
2 × 30 by using the (40) and (41). At the end of the algorithm the best position of a particle represents the
optimal values of the controller gains 𝑘𝑖 and𝑘𝑝 .

3. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Simulations are done in MATLAB/Simulink software in order to verify and evaluate the
performance of the nonlinear controller based on the Backstepping technique, designed in the above section
and illustrated in Figure 3. The global parameters are obtained on the basis of the theoretical study shown in
the design part of the controller and that are given in Table 2, The simulation results were generated under
stable operating conditions which are :(G=1000 w/m², T=25°C), and other different conditions.

Table 2. parameters of the proposed PV system

Parameter Symbol Value
PV-array power Ppv 1562𝑊
DC bus capacitor Cdc 3 × 103 𝜇𝐹
Switching frequency Fs 5𝐾𝐻𝑧
Grid Vg 380V/50Hz
L 1,8mH
Filter parameters
R 0,05Ω
k1 3 × 10−2
PV voltage regulator
k2 5 × 10−3
k3 107
Current regulator
k4 106
ki 0.8
PI-PSO
kp 0.05

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Case 1: (Simulation under constant irradiance and temperature)

The Figure 6-10 illustrate the behavior of the main system singals after a simulation under stable
conditions (𝐺 = 1000 w/𝑚2 ; 𝑇 = 25°C), in order to demonstrate the most significant aspects of the control
strategy proposed.
Figure 6 shows the behavior of the voltage generated by the PV array, which follows its reference
value at nearly 93.3 V thanks to the hybrid Mppt command that introduces both techniques (Inccond and
Backstepping). The values of the current and the input voltage of the choppers indicate respectively, 16.74 A
and 93.3V, and the value of the PV power is about 1561.8W. This justifies the reliability of the external
voltage controller based on the lyapunov function which has ensured a global stabilization of the system, and
makes it possible to extract the instantaneous voltage and maximum current generated by the PV generator.

Figure 6. Input Voltage 𝑉𝑝𝑣

Figure 7 represents the behavior of the output voltage of the chopper, as can be noticed in this figure
the voltage follows perfectly (on average) its reference value (360), which proves the performance of the DC
bus voltage regulation loop, that introduces the PSO based PI dc link controller, with the ability to quickly
and accurately converge to its reference values.

Figure 7. DC –bus voltage

Figure 8 shows the output current and the AC voltage waveforms, from this figure, we note that
there is a zero phase difference between the voltage and the injected current., which makes it possible to have
the unity power factor is well achieved and the frequency remained constant and equal to the grid-voltage
frequency. Moreover, the current injected into the network converges to its reference value after a short
transient phase (0.07s) which means that the nonlinear current controller developed has given us the expected
results and the control that we have set up allows us to have a unit power factor. And according to figure 9,
we notice that the reactive power is regulated to zero and the active power injected into the grid reaches its
maximum value (1562W), which will ensure a total transfer of PV power.
The improvement of the quality of the injected power is ensured by the non-linear control loops,
which is proved by Figure 10 which show the THD in the current, as it can be noticed that the THD in the
grid current is 3,34 which is under the standard value required not to exceed 5%.

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to the three-phase grid … (Salma Zouga)
622  ISSN: 2088-8694

Figure 8. Injected phase voltage and current

Figure 9. Active and reactive grid power

Figure 10. Frequency analysis of the current injected into the grid

Case 2: Simulation under irradiation variations

The PV system operates under an unstable irradiance level, which causes variations in the generated
PV power. In this second simulation step, the robustness of the non-linear cascade controllers based on the
backstraping-PSO technique is tested under variable radiation and a constant temperature equal to 25 ° C.
according to figure 11 the solar irradiation suddenly drops from 1000 W/m2 to 700 W/m2 at 0.7 s and
continues to maintain this irradiation level till 1.5 s. then it returns to its level 1000 W/m2 after 1.5 s. Figure
12 represents the behavior of the voltage generated by the PV panel, which perfectly follows its reference
value generated by the MPPT block, thanks to the external voltage control loop. with a small decrease in the
output voltage (91 V) during the change of irradiation between 0.7s and 1.5s.

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Figure 11. Solar irradiance changes

Figure 12. PV voltage

Figure 13 indicates the behaviour of the DC bus voltage that remains constant and follows its
reference value, which is equal to 360 V, this voltage presents rapid transitions after each change in
irradiance value. Also, on the instants 0.7s and 1.5s, the voltage is changed but it is returned to its value after
a short transient period. Which confirms the high precision of the PI controller parameters ki and kp
generated by the PSO algorithm.

Figure 13. DC link voltage

Figure 14 shows the behavior of the active and reactive current during changes in irradiance. It can
be deduced that, despite the sudden large change in irradiance, the current inner loop based on the
backstepping technique has shown robust and accurate performance in the monitoring of the two references
current signals idref and iqref. In addition, the precise choice of the stabilization parameters K1 and K2
provided rapid and precise response.

A robust nonlinear control strategy of a PV System connected to the three-phase grid … (Salma Zouga)
624  ISSN: 2088-8694

Figure 14. Current components behavior

Figure 15 presents the behavior of voltage and current injected during irradiance variations (the
amplitude of the current is multiplied by 20 compared to its actual value in order to draw the two curves in
the same graph). at 0.6 s the amplitude of the injected current is reduced due to the reduction of the power
generated, however there is a zero phase shift between current and voltage during each instant which
confirms the validity of the proposed non-linear controller, high quality of the injected current to network and
obtaining a unit power factor during changes in irradiance. Finally, Figure 16 illustrates the behavior of the
active and reactive power during the irradiance changes occur in the system, the active power injected into
the grid which has decreased from1500W to 900W in accordance with the variation in irradiance which also
decreased from 1000 W/m2 to 700 W/m2. However, the injected active power corresponds well to the
maximum power produced by the PV panel while the reactive power injected kept at zero.

Figure 15. Injected phase voltage and current

Figure 16. Active and reactive grid power

The analysis of the simulation results obtained, allows us to deduce that the proposed control
strategy in this article presents improved performances during all cases of operation. Thanks, of the internal
current loops and the PV generator voltage loop based on the Backstepping technique, we were able to have a

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quick and precise regulation of the PV voltage, which ensured maximum extraction of the PV power
generated. on the other hand, they have improved both the active power and the reactive power of the electric
grid as well as the quality of the current injected into the grid, whose harmonic rate is low compared to other
control methods [26]-[27]. Moreover, the optimization of the IP parameters based on the PSO algorithm has
reacted quickly, so that the DC bus voltage can reach its reference and quickly eliminates the tracking in
order to achieve overall stability.

4. CONCLUSION
This paper has presented a robust nonlinear control strategy for three-phase PV system connected to
grid. The controllers design for this command combines the backstepping-based control method and the PI
controller based on the PSO algorithm. After a mathematical description of the overall model-based system
(19-23), stability analysis was performed using the advanced mathematical tool represented by Lyapunov
stability. Based on the theoretical study and simulation of the system under MATLAB/Simulink, the results
obtained showed importance and satisfaction. More precisely, it is demonstrated that all the control
objectives are achieved, including precise PV voltage regulation with zero tracking error, requirement of
PFC, keep the system in optimal performance in spite of variations in climatic conditions, and regulation of
the DC-bus voltage, which has shown an improvement response in terms of response time and overshoot.
The choice of the controllers gains for the non-Linear Backstepping control strategy, is an important
and difficult task because of its impact on performance, and the stability of the overall system. For this
reason, the contribution of this paper lies in the introduction of the PSO technique to adapt the gains of the
DC bus voltage controller with those of the Backstepping, to ensure overall stability and to obtain improved
results compared to other control methods.

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BIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORS

Salma Zouga was born in Meknes, Morocco, on October 02,1993. She received the engineering
degree in electrical engineering from the National School of Applied Sciences of Oujda,
University of Mohamed 1st Oujda in 2016. She is currently preparing her PhD in the field of
electrical engineering at the National School of Applied Sciences of Khouribga, ISERT
laboratory, University Sultan Moulay Slimane of Beni Mellal, under the supervision of the prof.
M. Benchagra and Prof. A. Ailane

Mohamed Benchagra, was born in Beni-Mellal, Morocco, in 1982.He received the Ph. D
Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco, in 2013. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Technology
High School (EST) Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Morocco. His research interests are
electric machines, power electronics, power systems and renewable energy. Dr. Benchagra is a
member of the IEEE

Abdellah Ailane is a university professor at the ENSA School of engineering in Khouribga,

Morocco, qualified to direct researchs, has obtained his diploma in electrical engineering at the
normal school of Mohammedia ENSET in 1995, then began advanced studies ‘DESA’ in
automatic control at the ENSEM school in 2007. He obtained his doctorate in 2014 at the
university Hassan 2 of Casablanca in control systems. Its research focusses on nonlinear control
of industrial processes

Int J Pow Elec & Dri Syst, Vol. 12, No. 1, March 2021 : 612 – 626