The PPPE software enables any Magna-Power Electronics power supply, from two kW to 1000 kW+, to emulate the power profile characteristics of solar array and vary these characteristics over time as a function of temperature and sunlight. With voltages up to 4000 Vdc, and systems designed for central inverters into the multi-megawatts, Magna-Power Electronics offers the broadest line of solar array emulation products in the industry.
The new version expands upon the very successful software package first released in January 2010. For this major milestone release, Magna-Power Electronics worked closely with many commercial inverter manufacturers to add new features and improvements to the software. Among these improvements, the software incorporates new photovoltaic modeling in accordance with the EN50530 standard.
New key features in PPPE 2.0 are as follows:
- EN50530 Modeling: The European EN50530 standard provides a new algorithm for proper solar array modeling. PPPE 2.0 incorporates this model, furthermore allowing the selection of thin film or polycrystalline silicon parameters. Defining a curve is as simple as specifying desired open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and maximum power point. Alternatively, manual parameters can be entered for more customized modeling or profile importing from an external file.
- Live Output Viewer: A new live output viewer provides six graphs of instantaneous output parameters versus time. This data allows the user to visualize fluctuations in voltage, current, and power over time.
- Curve Interpolation: An interpolation function was added to automatically generate transitional curves. This functionality enables smooth transitions from one curve to another over a user-defined period of time.
- Data Logging: Customizable data logging functionality was added, allowing for report generation and data analysis using external tools. Data is exported to a comma-delimited (.csv) file.
- Command Export: A user can now leverage ease of profile generation in PPPE and export the generated SCPI commands for integration into a separate programming environment, such as LabVIEW/LabWindows.
The new software is available immediately and shipping with all power supplies purchased with the +PPPE option. Current users can upgrade their existing software to the new version at no additional charge.
