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Hassan M. H. Farh
    Low ripples and variations in the DC-Bus voltage in single-phase Photovoltaic/Battery Energy Storage (PV/BES) grid-connected systems may cause significant harmonics distortion, instability, and reduction in power factor. The use of... more
    Low ripples and variations in the DC-Bus voltage in single-phase Photovoltaic/Battery Energy Storage (PV/BES) grid-connected systems may cause significant harmonics distortion, instability, and reduction in power factor. The use of short-life electrolytic capacitor on the DC-Bus is considered a standard way for reducing these ripples and variations because of its large capacitance but results in short lifetime of the inverter. Replacing large electrolytic capacitors with small film capacitors can extend the lifetime of a PV/BES grid-connected system because small film capacitors have longer lifetime than large electrolytic capacitors. These film capacitors have low capacitance, which causes severe oscillations in the output current, and voltage drop due to huge ripples on the DC-Bus voltage. In this research, the main goal is to eliminate the output current ripples and voltage fluctuations associated with employing film capacitors. First, a modified incremental conductance (MIC) tec...
    Hybrid renewable energy microgrid has become an attractive solution to electrify urban areas. This research proposes a microgrid design problem including photovoltaic (PV) arrays, wind turbine, diesel, and batteries for which Harris hawk... more
    Hybrid renewable energy microgrid has become an attractive solution to electrify urban areas. This research proposes a microgrid design problem including photovoltaic (PV) arrays, wind turbine, diesel, and batteries for which Harris hawk optimization (HHO), a metaheuristic technique, is applied. Based on a long-term techno-economic assessment, the HHO approach is used to determine the best hybrid microgrid size for a community in Saudi Arabia’s northern region. The efficacy of HHO is investigated, and its performance was compared with seven metaheuristic techniques, grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA), cuckoo search optimizer (CSO), genetic algorithm (GA), Big Bang–Big Crunch (BBBC), coyote optimizer, crow search, and butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), to attain the HRE microgrid optimal sizing based on annualized system cost (ASC) reduction. Some benchmarks (optimum and worst solutions, mean, median, standard deviation, and rate of convergence) are used to distinguish and...
    During partial shading conditions (PSCs), the power-voltage curve becomes more complex, having one global maximum power (GMP) and many local peaks. Traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms are unable to track the GMP... more
    During partial shading conditions (PSCs), the power-voltage curve becomes more complex, having one global maximum power (GMP) and many local peaks. Traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms are unable to track the GMP under PSCs. Therefore, several optimization tactics based on metaheuristics or artificial intelligence have been applied to deal with GMP tracking effectively. This paper details how a direct control cuckoo search optimizer (CSO) is used to track the GMP for a photovoltaic (PV) system. The proposed CSO addresses the limitations of traditional MPPT algorithms to deal with the PSCs and the shortcomings of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, such as low tracking efficiency, steady-state fluctuations, and tracking time. The CSO was implemented using MATLAB/Simulink for a PV array operating under PSCs and its tracking performance was compared to that of the PSO-MPPT. Experimental validation of the CSO-MPPT was performed on a boost DC/DC convert...
    Smart grid is a concept by which the existing electrical grid infrastructure is being upgraded with integration of multiple technologies such as, two-way power flow, two-way communication, automated sensors, advanced automated controls... more
    Smart grid is a concept by which the existing electrical grid infrastructure is being upgraded with integration of multiple technologies such as, two-way power flow, two-way communication, automated sensors, advanced automated controls and forecasting system. Smart grid enables interaction between the consumer and utility which allow the optimal usage of energy based on environmental, price preferences and system technical issues. This enables the grid to be more reliable, efficient and secure, while reducing greenhouse gases. This paper presents a survey of the recent literature on integrating renewable energy sources into smart grid system. Various management objectives, such as improving energy efficiency, maximizing utilization, reducing cost, and controlling emission have been explored.
    Photovoltaic (PV) maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is compulsory in PV systems to improve its output power and efficiency. Conventional techniques can track the maximum power under uniform irradiances efficiently and accurately.... more
    Photovoltaic (PV) maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is compulsory in PV systems to improve its output power and efficiency. Conventional techniques can track the maximum power under uniform irradiances efficiently and accurately. Nevertheless, in case of partial shading conditions where multiple peaks are generated, these conventional techniques may stick at any local peak of the P – V curve of the PV energy systems. Metaheuristic techniques have been applied to PV energy systems to overcome this limitation, where most of these techniques can catch the global MPP (GMPP) easily and efficiently. In case of dynamic change of partial shading, most of these techniques need reinitialisation to disperse the search agents to look again for a new position and value of GMPP. This study introduces a brief description, assessment and evaluation for these techniques. In addition, it proposes a novel assessment criterion based on grade point average for evaluating and ranking the 20 famous metaheuristic and hybrid GMPP techniques. This evaluation methodology can help researchers, designer and decision maker to choose the best option for MPPT of dynamic change of partially shading PV energy systems.
    This chapter discusses the photovoltaic (PV) characteristics, performance, modelling, maximum power point tracker techniques and grid interconnection. It covers four different PV generator models with their characteristics and their... more
    This chapter discusses the photovoltaic (PV) characteristics, performance, modelling, maximum power point tracker techniques and grid interconnection. It covers four different PV generator models with their characteristics and their performance analysis. In addition, the four most famous conventional MPPT techniques with some of the soft computing MPPT techniques have been discussed including detailed comparison, assessment, and discussion with the limitations, merits and demerits of these MPPT techniques. Interconnection of the PV energy system with electric utility has been discussed at the end of this chapter.
    In the case of partial shading conditions (PSCs), normal equations cannot be completely implemented. The mathematical model of the Photovoltaic (PV) array needs to be modified and re-established with the existence of bypass diodes... more
    In the case of partial shading conditions (PSCs), normal equations cannot be completely implemented. The mathematical model of the Photovoltaic (PV) array needs to be modified and re-established with the existence of bypass diodes connected to the PV module, which can alleviate the negative effects of the PSCs and generate several peaks on the PV output characteristics curve. The first aim of this study is to modify and re-establish the mathematical model of the PV array under PSCs. Second, it aims to improve and validate the reliable Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA) by integrating it with PID (hybrid CSA-PID) to diminish the impact of PSCs problems. The hybrid CSA-PID was proposed to both track the global maximum power point (GMPP) of PV systems and reduce the tracking time to eliminate the fluctuations around the GMPP. Further, the PID controller was used to eliminate the error percentage obtained by CSA under PSCs to generate the required duty cycle, which provides the required and ...
    For proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), the parameter extraction issue is among the most widely studied problems in the field of energy storage systems, since the precise identification of such parameters plays an important role... more
    For proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), the parameter extraction issue is among the most widely studied problems in the field of energy storage systems, since the precise identification of such parameters plays an important role in increasing the PEMFC performance and life span. The optimization process is intended to adjust the performance of PEMFCs by appraising the optimal parameters that produce a good estimation of the current–voltage (I–V) curve. In order to build an accurate equivalent circuit model for PEMFCs, a reliable and effective parameter extraction algorithm, termed a supply–demand-based optimization (SDO) algorithm, is proposed in this paper. Nine parameters (ξ1, ξ2, ξ3, ξ4, Rc, β, λ, l, and Jmax) are evaluated, to minimize the sum squared deviation (SSE) between the experimental and simulated I–V curves. To validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the SDO algorithm, four sets of experimental data with diverse characteristics and two well-known PEMFC s...
    Energy conservation measures can not only improve energy efficiency; it can also enhance microgrid resilience. This paper aims at investigating energy conservation in a small microgrid, using a new hospital in Riyadh city as a case study,... more
    Energy conservation measures can not only improve energy efficiency; it can also enhance microgrid resilience. This paper aims at investigating energy conservation in a small microgrid, using a new hospital in Riyadh city as a case study, to satisfy the Saudi Building Code (SBC part 601) requirement of energy conservation as the first case. The second case study aims to apply and simulate additional advanced energy conservation requirements. The new hospital has considered energy conservation measures uch as upgraded Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting type effect, thermal insulation, and window material. These energy conservation considerations made a difference in the annual energy saving and efficiency of its microgrid. This study used Autodesk Revit software to obtain building information modeling (BIM) and eQUEST to perform energy simulations. The two software programs are integrated together to perform comprehensive energy simulations with detailed buil...
    The current work contributes an estimate of the time-frequency characteristics of a leakage current in assessing the health condition of a polluted polymeric insulator. A 33 kV polymer insulator string was subjected to a series of... more
    The current work contributes an estimate of the time-frequency characteristics of a leakage current in assessing the health condition of a polluted polymeric insulator. A 33 kV polymer insulator string was subjected to a series of laboratory tests under a range of environmental conditions, including pollution, wetting rate (WR), non-soluble deposit density (NSDD), and non-uniform distribution pollution (FT/B). The temporal and frequency features of the leakage current were then extracted and used as assessment indicators for insulator conditions based on laboratory test findings. Two indices were generated from the leakage current waveform in the time domain: the curve slope index (F1), which is determined by measuring the inclination of the curve between two successive time peaks of the leakage current, and the crest factor indicator (F2). The frequency domain of the leakage current signal was used to calculate the other two indices. These are the odd harmonic indicators derived fr...
    In this study, a novel bonobo optimizer (BO) technique is applied to find the optimal design for an off-grid hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) that contains a diesel generator, photovoltaics (PV), a wind turbine (WT), and batteries as... more
    In this study, a novel bonobo optimizer (BO) technique is applied to find the optimal design for an off-grid hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) that contains a diesel generator, photovoltaics (PV), a wind turbine (WT), and batteries as a storage system. The proposed HRES aims to electrify a remote region in northern Saudi Arabia based on annualized system cost (ASC) minimization and power system reliability enhancement. To differentiate and evaluate the performance, the BO was compared to four recent metaheuristic algorithms, called big-bang–big-crunch (BBBC), crow search (CS), the genetic algorithm (GA), and the butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), to find the optimal design for the proposed off-grid HRES in terms of optimal and worst solutions captured, mean, convergence rate, and standard deviation. The obtained results reveal the efficacy of BO compared to the other four metaheuristic algorithms where it achieved the optimal solution of the proposed off-grid HRES with the ...
    Electrification of remote rural areas by adopting renewable energy technologies through the advancement of smart micro-grids is indispensable for the achievement of continuous development goals. Satisfying the electricity demand of... more
    Electrification of remote rural areas by adopting renewable energy technologies through the advancement of smart micro-grids is indispensable for the achievement of continuous development goals. Satisfying the electricity demand of consumers while adhering to reliability constraints with docile computation analysis is challenging for the optimal sizing of a Hybrid Energy System (HES). This study proposes the new application of an Artificial Ecosystem-based Optimization (AEO) algorithm for the optimal sizing of a HES while satisfying Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) and Renewable Energy Fraction (REF) reliability indices. Furthermore, reduction of surplus energy is achieved by adopting Demand Side Management (DSM), which increases the utilization of renewable energy. By adopting DSM, 28.38%, 43.05%, and 65.37% were achieved for the Cost of Energy (COE) saving at 40%, 60%, and 80% REF, respectively. The simulation and optimization results demonstrate the most cost-competitive s...
    In this paper, a new application of Bonobo (BO) metaheuristic optimizer is presented for PV parameter extraction. Its processes depict a reproductive approach and the social conduct of Bonobos. The BO algorithm is employed to extract the... more
    In this paper, a new application of Bonobo (BO) metaheuristic optimizer is presented for PV parameter extraction. Its processes depict a reproductive approach and the social conduct of Bonobos. The BO algorithm is employed to extract the parameters of both the single diode and double diode model. The good performance of the BO is experimentally investigated on three commercial PV modules (STM6-40 and STP6-120/36) and an R.T.C. France silicon solar cell under various operating circumstances. The algorithm is easy to implement with less computational time. BO is extensively compared to other state of the art algorithms, manta ray foraging optimization (MRFO), artificial bee colony (ABO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), flower pollination algorithm (FPA), and supply-demand-based optimization (SDO) algorithms. Throughout the 50 runs, the BO algorithm has the best performance in terms of minimal simulation time for the R.T.C. France silicon, STM6-40/36 and STP6-120/36 modules. The fit...
    This paper is introducing a smart Maximum Power Point Tracking technique for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy system. The proposed is compared with perturb and observe (P&O) to evaluate and assess its performance.... more
    This paper is introducing a smart Maximum Power Point Tracking technique for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy system. The proposed is compared with perturb and observe (P&O) to evaluate and assess its performance. Grid-connected PV energy system in this research is connected to the utility grid through dc/dc boost converter and three-phase PWM converter. The whole system is simulated in Simulink. The maximum power extracted from the PV array under rapidly varying atmospheric and operating conditions is investigated using the proposed technique and state of the art circuits. The proposed MPPT technique is controlling boost converter and the PWM inverter to track the maximum power. The FLC is more efficient and quick in response for the maximum power tracking than P&O technique. Also, the oscillation around maximum power of P&O technique is higher than FLC technique. The PWM used to enhance the MPPT is used also to control the active and reactive power to utility grid. The outer dc-link voltage control loop is used to control active power by maintaining a constant voltage on the dc-link capacitor while the inner current control loop is used to the reactive power by setting the q-axis current reference to zero value for unity power factor achievement. The results proved the superiority, high accuracy and efficient performance of the FLC compared to P&O in dynamic, steady-state response and active and reactive power control to the utility grid.
    This article aims to explore the oscillatory characteristics of a controlled asymmetric rotor system when subjected to rub and impact forces between the rotor and stator. Four electromagnetic poles are used to control the whirling motion... more
    This article aims to explore the oscillatory characteristics of a controlled asymmetric rotor system when subjected to rub and impact forces between the rotor and stator. Four electromagnetic poles are used to control the whirling motion of the rotor system through a linear proportional-derivative control law. The equations of motion that govern the whole system dynamics are derived including the rub and impact forces. The derived mathematical model is analyzed in two basic steps. Firstly, the obtained model is treated as a weakly nonlinear system using perturbation analysis to obtain the slow-flow modulating equations when neglecting the rub and impact forces. Depending on the obtained slow-flow equations, different response curves are plotted to explore the system’s periodic vibrations and determine the conditions at which the system can exhibit rub and impact force. Secondly, the whole system model including the rub and impact forces is investigated by using the bifurcation diagr...
    Partial shading condition (PSC) has a bad effect not only on the shaded PV modules/arrays itself but also on the output power generated from the partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) system. It reduces the output power generated from the... more
    Partial shading condition (PSC) has a bad effect not only on the shaded PV modules/arrays itself but also on the output power generated from the partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) system. It reduces the output power generated from the photovoltaic (PV) system and contributes in hot spot problem that may lead to thermal breakdown of shaded PV modules. Under PSC, multiple peaks, one global peak (GP) and many other local peaks (LPs) are generated in the P–V curve. This chapter concentrates on alleviating the partial shading effects and extracting the global maximum power available from the PSPV system. This has been achieved using the suitable and the best PV system design topologies and the efficient maximum power point tracker (MPPT) techniques in tracking the GP under PSC. Therefore, it is concluded that the partial shading (PS) mitigation techniques can be classified into PV system design topologies and MPPT techniques to not only alleviate the PS effects of the PSPV system but also to extract the GP. The PV system design topologies consist of the bypass and blocking diodes, PV system architectures, PV array configuration and PV array reconfiguration, whereas the MPPT techniques concentrate the most efficient heuristic MPPT in tracking the GP under PSC.
    This paper proposes two effective maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms for two different wind energy conversion systems connected to the grid using permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The wind turbine (WT) is... more
    This paper proposes two effective maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms for two different wind energy conversion systems connected to the grid using permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The wind turbine (WT) is connected to the grid via back-to-back PWM-VSC for the first scheme, whereas, the WT is connected to the grid via diode-bridge rectifier, boost converter and the grid side PWM-VSC for the other scheme. Active and reactive power control is achieved independently via controlling q-axis and d-axis current components, respectively for the first scheme, whereas, active and reactive power control is achieved dependently via controlling modulation index of the PWM converter and duty ratio of the boost converter for the second scheme. The effective and powerful WECS is determined via the whole control system superiority and the system operation stability. Also, comparison of the output power from each WECS is introduced for maximum power following.
    Partial shading (PS) condition has a negative effect on the shaded photovoltaic (PV) modules/arrays itself. In addition, it reduces the output power generated considerably. The PV system configuration represents one of the effective... more
    Partial shading (PS) condition has a negative effect on the shaded photovoltaic (PV) modules/arrays itself. In addition, it reduces the output power generated considerably. The PV system configuration represents one of the effective solutions to alleviate the PS effects and extract the global maximum power (GMP) available from the partially shaded PV (PSPV) system. This study introduces a detailed performance analysis and comparisons of four proposed PV system configurations [module integrated converter (MIC), multi-strings interfaced interleaved boost converter (MSIBC), multi-arrays interfaced IBC and single array single converter (SASC)] in terms of output power generated and mismatch loss (MML) index. The selection of the best PV system configuration, which not only mitigates the PS effects but also extracts the GMP available from the PSPV system, depends on a trade-off between the generated power, cost and complexity before judging which one is preferable. Although the MIC PV system has the highest output power generated (33 kW) and MML (100%), it increases the PV system complexity. Whereas, MSIBC has the second highest output power generated (28 kW) and MML compared to MIC. SASC has the lowest generated power and MML among the four configurations. The finding proves that MSIBC has superior performance compared to the other PV system configurations considering both the technical and economic assessment.
    Photovoltaic (PV) maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is compulsory in PV systems to improve its output power and efficiency. Conventional techniques can track the maximum power under uniform irradiances efficiently and accurately.... more
    Photovoltaic (PV) maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is compulsory in PV systems to improve its output power and efficiency. Conventional techniques can track the maximum power under uniform irradiances efficiently and accurately. Nevertheless, in case of partial shading conditions where multiple peaks are generated, these conventional techniques may stick at any local peak of the P-V curve of the PV energy systems. Metaheuristic techniques have been applied to PV energy systems to overcome this limitation, where most of these techniques can catch the global MPP (GMPP) easily and efficiently. In case of dynamic change of partial shading, most of these techniques need reinitialisation to disperse the search agents to look again for a new position and value of GMPP. This study introduces a brief description, assessment and evaluation for these techniques. In addition, it proposes a novel assessment criterion based on grade point average for evaluating and ranking the 20 famous metaheuristic and hybrid GMPP techniques. This evaluation methodology can help researchers, designer and decision maker to choose the best option for MPPT of dynamic change of partially shading PV energy systems.
    Maximum power point tracker (MPPT) techniques have been used to extract the maximum power available form photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. Conventional MPPT techniques like perturb and observe (P&O), hill climbing (HC), incremental... more
    Maximum power point tracker (MPPT) techniques have been used to extract the maximum power available form photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. Conventional MPPT techniques like perturb and observe (P&O), hill climbing (HC), incremental conductance etc. were good enough to track the maximum power for the unshaded PV systems because it has only one power peak in the P-V curve. In the case of partial shading conditions (PSC), many peaks are created; one global maximum power point (GMPP) and many local maximum power points (LMPPs). Most of conventional MPPT techniques may stick to one of the LMPPs, which reduce the MPPT efficiency of PV systems. Soft computing techniques like particle swarm optimization (PSO), gray wolf optimization (GWO), and Cuckoo search optimization (CSO) etc. can catch the GMPP of PV system under the same PSC. These latter techniques suffer from two problems, the first problem is the high oscillations around the GMPP, the second problem is that, they cannot follow the new GMPP once it changed its position due to the searching agents will be busy around old GMPP caught. The solution of these two problems are the motivation of this research. GWO has been used to catch the GMPP and the problem of oscillations around the GMPP has been solved by hybridizing this technique with fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for soft tune the output generated power at the GMPP. The FLC characterizes by accurate GMPP catching with almost zero oscillations. The second problem is solved in this paper by reinitializing the GWO with two new initialization techniques. The results obtained from GWO-FLC with two different re-initialization techniques have been compared to the results of PSO without reinitializing its particles. The results obtained from this work prove the superior performance of the new proposed technique in terms of dynamic GMPP catching and MPPT power efficiency in case of time variant PSCs.
    This paper is introducing a smart Maximum Power Point Tracking technique for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy system. The proposed is compared with perturb and observe (P&O) to evaluate and assess its performance. Gridconnected PV... more
    This paper is introducing a smart Maximum Power Point Tracking technique for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy system. The proposed is compared with perturb and observe (P&O) to evaluate and assess its performance. Gridconnected PV energy system in this research is connected to the utility grid through dc/dc boost converter and three-phase PWM converter. The whole system is simulated in Simulink. The maximum power extracted from the PV array under rapidly varying atmospheric and operating conditions is investigated using the proposed technique and state of the art circuits. The proposed MPPT technique is controlling boost converter and the PWM inverter to track the maximum power. The FLC is more efficient and quick in response for the maximum power tracking than P&O technique. Also, the oscillation around maximum power of P&O technique is higher than FLC technique. The PWM used to enhance the MPPT is used also to control the active and reactive power to utility grid. The outer dc-link voltage control loop is used to control active power by maintaining a constant voltage on the dc-link capacitor while the inner current control loop is used to the reactive power by setting the q-axis current reference to zero value for unity power factor achievement. The results proved the superiority, high accuracy and efficient performance of the FLC compared to P&O in dynamic, steady-state response and active and reactive power control to the utility grid.
    Smart grid is a concept by which the existing electrical grid infrastructure is being upgraded with integration of multiple technologies such as, two-way power flow, two-way communication, automated sensors, advanced automated controls... more
    Smart grid is a concept by which the existing electrical grid infrastructure is being upgraded with integration of multiple technologies such as, two-way power flow, two-way communication, automated sensors, advanced automated controls and forecasting system. Smart grid enables interaction between the consumer and utility which allow the optimal usage of energy based on environmental, price preferences and system technical issues. This enables the grid to be more reliable, efficient and secure, while reducing greenhouse gases. This paper presents a survey of the recent literature on integrating renewable energy sources into smart grid system. Various management objectives, such as improving energy efficiency, maximizing utilization, reducing cost, and controlling emission have been explored.
    Partial shading condition (PSC) has a bad effect not only on the shaded PV modules/arrays itself but also on the output power generated from the partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) system. It reduces the output power generated from the... more
    Partial shading condition (PSC) has a bad effect not only on the shaded PV modules/arrays itself but also on the output power generated from the partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) system. It reduces the output power generated from the photovoltaic (PV) system and contributes in hot spot problem that may lead to thermal breakdown of shaded PV modules. Under PSC, multiple peaks, one global peak (GP) and many other local peaks (LPs) are generated in the P-V curve. This chapter concentrates on alleviating the partial shading effects and extracting the global maximum power available from the PSPV system. This has been achieved using the suitable and the best PV system design topologies and the efficient maximum power point tracker (MPPT) techniques in tracking the GP under PSC. Therefore, it is concluded that the partial shading (PS) mitigation techniques can be classified into PV system design topologies and MPPT techniques to not only alleviate the PS effects of the PSPV system but also to extract the GP. The PV system design topologies consist of the bypass and blocking diodes, PV system architectures, PV array configuration and PV array reconfiguration, whereas the MPPT techniques concentrate the most efficient heuristic MPPT in tracking the GP under PSC.
    This chapter discusses the photovoltaic (PV) characteristics, performance, modelling, maximum power point tracker techniques and grid interconnection. It covers four different PV generator models with their characteristics and their... more
    This chapter discusses the photovoltaic (PV) characteristics, performance, modelling, maximum power point tracker techniques and grid interconnection. It covers four different PV generator models with their characteristics and their performance analysis. In addition, the four most famous conventional MPPT techniques with some of the soft computing MPPT techniques have been discussed including detailed comparison, assessment, and discussion with the limitations, merits and demerits of these MPPT techniques. Interconnection of the PV energy system with electric utility has been discussed at the end of this chapter.
    The partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) condition reduces the generated power and contributes to hot spot problems that may lead to breakdown of shaded modules. PSPV generates multiple peak, one global one and many other local peaks.... more
    The partially shaded photovoltaic (PSPV) condition reduces the generated power and contributes to hot spot problems that may lead to breakdown of shaded modules. PSPV generates multiple peak, one global one and many other local peaks. Many efficient, accurate and reliable maximum power point tracker (MPPT) techniques are used to track the global peak instead of local peaks. The proposed technique is not limited to global peak tracking, but rather it is capable of tracking the sum of all peaks of the PV arrays using an interleaved boost converter (IBC). The proposed converter has been compared with the state of the art conventional control method that uses a conventional boost converter (CBC). The converters used in the two PSPV systems are interfaced with electric utility using a three-phase inverter. The simulation findings prove superiority of the PSPV with IBC compared to the one using CBC in terms of power quality, reliability, mismatch power loss, DC-link voltage stability, efficiency and flexibility. Also, IBC alleviates partial shading effects and extracts higher power compared to the one using CBC. The results have shown a remarkable increase in output generated power of a PSPV system for the three presented scenarios of partial shading by 61.6%, 30.3% and 13%, respectively, when CBC is replaced by IBC.
    Photovoltaic (PV) Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) is compulsory in PV systems to improve its output power and efficiency. Conventional techniques can track the maximum power under uniform irradiances efficiently and accurately.... more
    Photovoltaic (PV) Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) is compulsory in PV systems to improve its output power and efficiency. Conventional techniques can track the maximum power under uniform irradiances efficiently and accurately. Nevertheless, in case of partial shading conditions where multiple peaks are generated, these conventional techniques may stick at any local peak of the P-V curve of the PV energy systems. Meta-heuristic techniques have been applied to PV energy systems to overcome this limitation where most of these techniques can catch the Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP) easily and efficiently. In case of dynamic change of partial shading, most of these techniques need re-initialization to disperse the search agents to look again for a new position and value of GMPP. This paper introduces a brief description, assessment and evaluation for these techniques. In addition, it proposes a novel assessment criterion based on Grade Point Average (GPA) for evaluating and ranking the 20 famous meta-heuristic and hybrid GMPP techniques. This evaluation methodology can help researchers, designer, decision maker to choose the best option for MPPT of dynamic change of partially shading PV energy systems.
    Partial shading (PS) condition has a negative effect on the shaded PV-modules/arrays itself. In addition, it reduces the output power generated considerably. PV system configuration represents one of the effective solutions to alleviate... more
    Partial shading (PS) condition has a negative effect on the shaded PV-modules/arrays itself. In addition, it reduces the output power generated considerably. PV system configuration represents one of the effective solutions to alleviate the PS effects and extract the Global Maximum Power (GMP) available from the partially shaded PV (PSPV) system. This paper introduces a detailed performance analysis and comparisons of four proposed PV system configurations (MIC, MSIBC, MAIBC and SASC) in terms of output power generated and Mismatch Loss Index (MML). The selection of the best PV system configuration, which not only mitigate the PS effects but also extract the GMP available from the PSPV system, depends on a trade-off between the generated power, cost and complexity before judge, which one is preferable. Although, MIC PV system has the highest output power generated (33 kW) and MML (100%), it increases the PV system complexity. Whereas, MSIBC has the second highest output power generated (28kW) and MML compared to MIC. SASC has the lowest generated power and MML among the four configurations. The finding proves that MSIBC has the superior performance compared to the other PV system configurations considering both technical and economical assessment.
    This paper introduces a novel metaheuristic approach of sooty terns optimization algorithm (STOA) to determine the optimum parameters of model predictive control (MPC)-based deregulated load frequency control (LFC). The system structure... more
    This paper introduces a novel metaheuristic approach of sooty terns optimization algorithm (STOA) to determine the optimum parameters of model predictive control (MPC)-based deregulated load frequency control (LFC). The system structure consists of three interconnected plants with nonlinear multisources comprising wind turbine, photovoltaic model with maximum power point tracker, and superconducting magnetic energy storage under deregulated environment. The proposed objective function is the integral time absolute error (ITAE) of the deviations in frequencies and powers in tie-lines. The analysis aims at determining the optimum parameters of MPC via STOA such that ITAE is minimized. Moreover, the proposed STOA-MPC is examined under variation of the system parameters and random load disturbance. The time responses and performance specifications of the proposed STOA-MPC are compared to those obtained with MPC optimized via differential evolution, intelligent water drops algorithm, sta...
    Hybrid energy systems (HESs) are becoming popular for electrifying remote and rural regions to overcome the conventional energy generation system shortcomings and attain favorable technical and economic benefits. An optimal sizing of an... more
    Hybrid energy systems (HESs) are becoming popular for electrifying remote and rural regions to overcome the conventional energy generation system shortcomings and attain favorable technical and economic benefits. An optimal sizing of an autonomous HES consisting of photovoltaic technology, wind turbine generator, battery bank, and diesel generator is achieved by employing a new soft computing/metaheuristic algorithm called manta ray foraging optimizer (MRFO). This optimization problem is implemented and solved by employing MRFO based on minimizing the annualized system cost (ASC) and enhancing the system reliability in order to supply an off-grid northern area in Saudi Arabia. The hourly wind speed, solar irradiance, and load behavior over one year are used in this optimization problem. As for result verification, the MRFO is compared with five other soft computing algorithms, which are particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA), grasshopper optimization algorithm (GO...

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