Advanced control strategy with SPV integrated shunt active power filter for power quality improvement

Undesirable power quality issues, such as harmonics, can lead to overheating of transformers, malfunctions of sensitive loads, increased power losses, and a significant reduction in the distribution system's efficiency. Nonlinear devices in the power distribution network cause current and voltage harmonics. Consequently, there is a strong need for mitigating harmonics in power networks, which is addressed worldwide through the wide application of shunt active power filters (SAPFs). The SAPF operates using three control techniques: one for regulating the DC-link voltage, another for generating reference current (RCG), and a third for producing switching pulses. These control loops influence the effectiveness of the SAPF in generating adequate compensatory current. However, the behavior of the SAPFs is directly affected by the voltage across the DC link. In SAPF, the voltage across the DC link is typically high, fixed, and power-dependent. In light-load conditions, the DC-link voltage may become high, increasing switching noise and switching losses. Hence, in this article, as a solution to the above problem, a well-managed solar photovoltaic (PV) system is integrated across the DC-link side of the SAPF, which will maintain the DC-link voltage under any load-changing conditions. Similarly, an adaptive hysteresis current control technique is used to manage the voltage source converter switches, and a modified synchronous reference frame scheme is used for reference current generation. This research addresses the shortcomings of the conventional DC-link voltage control method by presenting an advanced PV-SAPF system. Under various load circumstances, the suggested technique's efficacy is assessed in both ideal and non-ideal grid voltage scenarios. A set of simulation-based investigations are used to compare the proposed control approach with other existing techniques. The offered techniques have yielded superior results in terms of total harmonic distortion.