An Experimental Validation of a Photovoltaic Emulator with Dual Loop PI Control for Accurate MPPT Testing
Received: 10 January 2026 | Revised: 5 February 2026 and 26 February 2026 | Accepted: 8 March 2026 | Online: 4 April 2026
Corresponding author: Machmud Effendy
Abstract
This paper introduces a Photovoltaic Emulator (PVE) that uses a buck converter with dual-loop Proportional-Integral (PI) control to reliably test Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms. The emulator utilizes a single-diode Photovoltaic (PV) model, solved using the Newton–Raphson method, to generate a reference current based on real-time voltage, irradiance, and temperature inputs. A dual-loop PI structure, consisting of an inner and outer current control loop, ensures accurate dynamic performance and stability. The proposed system was validated through simulations and experiments under various scenarios, including resistive load variations, irradiance and temperature changes, and integration with an MPPT converter. The results confirm that the emulator accurately reproduces the current-voltage (I-V) and power–voltage (P–V) characteristics of a PV module, enabling effective MPPT tracking with minimal steady-state error. This design offers a practical, reliable, and computationally efficient solution for laboratory-based PV system testing and MPPT algorithm evaluation.
Keywords:
photovoltaic emulator, buck converter, maximum power point, PV cell modelDownloads
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Copyright (c) 2026 Machmud Effendy, Khusnul Hidayat, Ermanu Azizul Hakim
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