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Nonlinear Lyapunov Control of a Photovoltaic Water Pumping System

Article in Energies · February 2023

DOI: 10.3390/en16052241

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Article

Nonlinear Lyapunov Control of a Photovoltaic Water

Pumping System
Khalil Jouili 1 and Adel Madani 2,*

1 Laboratory of Advanced Systems, Polytechnic School of Tunisia (EPT), P.O. Box 743, Marsa 2078, Tunisia
2 Physics Department, Faculty of Applied Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
* Correspondence: ammadani@uqu.edu.sa

Abstract: In this study, we present an alternative maximum power point tracking technique used
in a solar water pumping system to produce the maximum power for modifying the amount of
pumped water. This technique was actually created primarily to regulate the duty ratio of the buck
converter. In order to control the solar array operating point in order to track the maximum power
point, a nonlinear control approach based on the input–output feedback linearizing technique and
the Lyapunov stability theory is used. By adjusting the irradiation level, the introduced controller-
containing photovoltaic generator direct current (DC) motor pump system was put to the test. Our
control method was modeled in Matlab-Simulink, and simulation results were used to show that it
significantly outperformed a directly connected solar generator-energized pumps operational
system in terms of power extraction performance under various sunlight conditions.

Keywords: photovoltaic water pumping system; maximum power point tracking; buck converter;
nonlinear control

1. Introduction
The rising demand for electrical energy and the crises of conventional energy sources
such as coal, oil, and so on [1] requires a solution. Thus, in the global energy competition,
renewable energy sources (RESs) (wind, solar, geothermal, and so on) garner a lot of
attention. Solar energy is seen as a possible source of energy among these RESs. Despite
the unavailability of sunshine throughout the year, solar energy has various advantages,
Citation: Jouili, K.; Madani, A.
such as ease of installation, low maintenance requirements, lack of pollution, and so on.
Nonlinear Lyapunov Control of a
The photovoltaic (PV) system has two significant disadvantages: high deployment costs
Photovoltaic Water Pumping
System. Energies 2023, 16, 2241.
and low efficiency.
https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052241
Increased demand for PV generation for home and industrial power demands
necessitates the optimization of solar power generation to improve system efficiency [1].
Academic Editor: Ioan Sarbu
This reduces the need for a PV panel for a given load, lowering the overall cost. At
Received: 2 January 2023 the moment, PV technology is being developed specifically in two directions: (i) PV cell
Revised: 2 February 2023 material and (ii) power converters, with the goal of improving total conversion efficiency.
Accepted: 9 February 2023 Despite advancements in PV cell materials, PV conversion efficiency is still poor, resulting
Published: 25 February 2023 in expensive system costs. As a result, power converters play an important role in
improving overall performance and lowering expenses. PV arrays have nonlinear current
voltage (I-V) and power voltage (P-V) characteristics, and their power production varies
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. depending on the climatic circumstances. P-V characteristics have a maximum power
Submitted for possible open access point (MPP) [2]. MPP evolves when the climate changes. As a result, it is required to
publication under the terms and monitor the MPP under various environmental circumstances, a procedure known as
conditions of the Creative Commons maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The superiority of MPPT approaches is often
Attribution (CC BY) license determined by their complexity, speed, precision, and other factors. Currently, virtually
(https://creativecommons.org/license all MPPT approaches function efficiently when the PV array is exposed to uniform
s/by/4.0/).
sunshine. However, their efficiency suffers when the PV array is subjected to partial shade

Energies 2023, 16, 2241. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052241 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

Energies 2023, 16, 2241 2 of 14

situations (PSCs). Under these conditions, the PV curve contains several local picks (LP),
whereas to discover a global maximum power point under PSC, an effective and efficient
MPPT method is required (GMPP).
Solar water pumping reduces reliance on coal-, gas-, or diesel-based electricity. Water
pumping systems that run on diesel or propane not only consume expensive fuels, but
also produce noise and air pollution. Solar pumping systems do not use fuel, need little
maintenance, and are environmentally benign. In the literature, a number of solar
pumping structures have been suggested [3–5]. The photovoltaic pumping system in
standalone mode is examined in induction machine entraining centrifugal pumps.
Additionally, the chop-cut to extract the most output power from the photovoltaic
generator and battery for storage are employed.
One of the main alternative energy sources that can be used for satellites, motor
drives, and metropolitan areas is solar energy. The most crucial component in the process
of converting solar energy into electric energy is a photovoltaic module (PVM). In this
conversion, it is required to run the photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion systems installed
close to the maximum power point in order to improve the performance of the PV system.
The PV array’s power and current in this system depend on the array’s terminal operating
voltage. The tracking control of the maximum power point is a challenging problem since
the maximum power operating point (MPPT) fluctuates with temperature and insolation
levels.
By using approaches like constant voltage control, perturb and observe (P&O),
incremental conductance, fuzzy logic, and neural networks, numerous studies have been
conducted to improve PV. Because it is typically used for traffic light applications, the first
technique is straightforward to apply [6]. Fuzzy control and neural networks are further
MPPT approaches [7–9]. The best performance and lowest tracking time are, in fact,
attributes of incremental conductance, which does not oscillate [10–15]. To implement
MPPT, a DC-to-DC converter is required, which ensures the maximum power is sent from
the PV module to the load by controlling the duty cycle and permits the distribution of
the highest power if the load is altered [6]. Additionally, the P&O technique was used in
several works due to its straightforward feedback structure, a small number of observed
parameters, and straightforward implementation. Peak power tracker operation is closely
correlated with the regular increnation or decrenation of solar array voltage [16,17]. The
aforementioned procedures have some limitations, such as high cost, difficulty,
complexity, and instability [18], despite their significance.
The motor pumping system is operated at the highest possible efficiency in this
manuscript by tracking the maximum power point and using a nonlinear controller.
When a DC motor pump is fed by a solar array through a DC–DC buck converter, the
MPPT can be operated by adjusting the rotational speed of the motor. The tracking of the
maximum power has the effect of boosting the DC motor speed and the associated
centrifugal pump’s water discharge rate.
The hydraulic power is at its peak when the PV generator’s output power is
determined by a certain circumstance.
In order to adjust the duty ratio so that the DC motor rotational speed stays constant
at a reference maximum rotational speed, our method integrates the input–output
linearizing control technique and the Lyapunov stability theory. Computer simulations
were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the PV generator, pumping system, and
newly introduced nonlinear Lyapunov controller. The proposed controller is also
contrasted with the system that is connected directly. Based on the outcomes of the
simulation, our controller has the best overall performance.
There are five sections in the manuscript. We describe the system component
modeling in section two. The nonlinear approach to the control is then presented in
Section 3. Section 4 provides examples of the simulation results. Finally, Section 5 makes
a few closing observations.
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 3 of 14

2. System Component Modelling

As shown in Figure 1, the designed isolated generation system consists primarily of
a centrifugal pump, a DC motor, and a PV generator connected to a buck converter. In the
subsections that follow, we demonstrate how to create a comprehensive mathematical
model for each device. Later, this model is used in simulation and controller design
investigations.

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the proposed water pumping system.

2.1. PV Module
A PV array is a device that turns sunlight into electricity using two or more solar
panels. Solar cells are connected together to form a PV array. A new form of sustainable
green energy conversion has arisen using modern, efficient photovoltaic solar cells. In the
suggested DVR, a DC supply for the DVR is provided by a PV array. Due to the variable
nature of the solar power produced as a result of abrupt changes in weather that alter the
solar irradiation level and cell operating temperature, the electrical system powered by a
solar array requires a DC/DC converter. Solar arrays are constructed using solar cell
combinations in parallel and series. A low step-up boost converter is incorporated into the
PV array’s design and modeling to charge the batteries. The basic equations of
photovoltaic cells, which take into account the effects of temperature variations and sun
irradiation, are used to build the PV model. The photo current, which is primarily
governed by load current dependent on the level of solar irradiation present during
operation, determines the PV cell output voltage.
The equivalent circuit of a PV cell is shown in Figure 2. The cell photocurrent is
displayed by the current source and stand for the cell’s inherent shunt and series
resistances, respectively. In general, its importance is minor compared to the value.
Therefore, to make the analysis simpler, these two values may be disregarded.

Figure 2. Equivalent circuit of a photovoltaic cell.

PV modules, which are made up of several smaller units called PV cells, are
connected to one another in a parallel-series arrangement to create PV arrays.
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 4 of 14

PV cells are grouped to create PV modules, which are bigger units. PV arrays are then
created by connecting them in a parallel-series manner. Equations (1) through (4) are
applied to produce the mathematical modeling of a solar panel [19,20].
The module photocurrent (Iph) is given by
G
I ph = I sc + K I (T −T ref )  , (1)
1000

where T indicates for the module operating temperature in Kelvin, G stands for the solar
insulation per unit (1.0 per unit), and ISC stands for the short-circuit current at reference
temperature Tref and denotes the temperature coefficient of short-circuit current [21,22].
The module reverse saturation current − I rs is given by

1   qV ph  
I rs = exp   −1  . (2)
I sc   N s K  T  

In Equation (2), V ph stands for the output voltage of the PV module, q =1.610−19 C
is the electron charge,  =1.6 is the circuit ideality factor, K is the Boltzmann constant
1.3810−23 J K , and N s = 36 is the number of cells connected in series.
The module saturation current I s changes as a function of the cell temperature
provided by
3
1  T   q Egap  1 1 
Is =   exp   −  , (3)
I sc  Tref   K   Tref T  
 
where Egap stands for the band-gap energy of the semiconductor utilized in the cell (1.1
eV) and  =1.6 denotes an ideality factor.
The PV module current output is obtained as follows,
  qV ph + I pv Rs  
I pv = N p I ph − N s I s exp   −1 , (4)
  Ns K  T  

where N p =1 is the number of cells connected in parallel.

We use a 36 W PV module from Solar as the simulation reference, and information
regarding the name-plate is shown in Table 1 [21]. The voltage-current and voltage-power
characteristics of PV generators at five different G values are shown, respectively, in
Figures 3 and 4. There is, of course, only one location at any given G value where the PV
generator power is at its maximum. We must first establish the corresponding maximum
voltage (Vphm ) and the maximum current ( I phm ) in order to discover this maximum
power point (MPP).

Table 1. Characteristics data of solar make 36 W PV module.

Rated Power 37 W
Voltage at maximum power 16.56 V
Current at maximum power 2.25 A
Open circuit voltage 21.24 V
Short circuit current 2.55 A
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 5 of 14

G=100%
2.5
Module Current [Ipv]

G=60%
1.5

0.5 G=20%

0
5 10 15 20 25
Module Voltage [Vpv]

Figure 3. The current voltage (I–V) characteristics of the PV generator at three different values of
solar insulation (G).

50

45
G=100%
40

35
Module Power [Ppv]

30

25 G=60%

20

15

10
G=20%
5

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Module Voltage [Vph]

Figure 4. The power voltage (P–V) characteristics of the PV generator at three different values of
solar insulation (G).

2.2. Buck Converter

A DC-DC converter is an electrical circuit used to change the level of a DC voltage
source. Also, as the battery’s reserve of power is used up, its voltage drops. Instead of
employing numerous batteries to achieve the same goal, switched DC-DC converters
provide a way to raise voltage from a partially decreased battery voltage while also
regulating the DC voltage.
Buck converter is installed in between the PV generator and the load. To push the PV
generator to give the maximum amount of power to the load, the buck DC-DC converter
controlled by MPPT tracking algorithm (duty cycle D) enables getting the voltage
appropriate to the load.A microcontroller, a signal conditioning board, and a trigger
circuit for the converter’s IGBTs make up the power converter’s control stage. The
microcontroller software incorporates an algorithm that makes use of maximum power
point tracking methods and adequate voltage modulation techniques for motor operation.
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 6 of 14

Two microcontroller timers and a lookup table with values for a half-cycle of the sine
function stored in the memory are required to produce trigger pulses of various widths.
The duty cycle of the IGBT is determined by each value in the table. The switching
frequency is determined by the Timer 0’s base frequency, which was set to 7.8 kHz. Timer
1 reads the sinewave table to finish the count sequence before loading the value of the sine
table (the transistor turn-on time). Timer 1 establishes the sinewave frequency, i.e., it
chooses the frequency at which the sine table will be read.
The transistor driver circuit receives the microcontroller’s trigger pulses. The trigger
circuit enables the semiconductor and microcontroller connection and supplies the 15 V
power required to turn on the IGBT. The electrical separation between the control stage
and the power stage is another benefit.
The buck converter is installed in between the PV generator and the load. To push
the PV generator to give the maximum amount of power to the load, the buck DC–DC
converter controlled by MPPT tracking algorithm (duty cycle D) enables one to get the
voltage appropriate to the load.
Two components make up the buck converter: a free-wheeling diode and a power
transistor. Through a PWM external driver circuit, the former is used as a switch that is
regularly turned on or off. The calculation shown below calculates the average output
voltage,
Vm = DV ph , (5)

where Vph and Vm represent the output voltage (DC motor voltage) and input voltage
(PV generator voltage) of the DC–DC converter, whereas D designates the duty cycle
( 0  D 1) . It is clear from Equation (5) that the control of the output voltage can be
performed by changing the chopper duty cycle D through applying pulse width
modulation (PWM) technique [22,23].
Suppose that power is loss less, the supply power (PV power) will be the same as the
load power:
Vph I ph = Vm I m (6)

and
V ph Im 1
= = , (7)
Vm I ph D

which shows that the converter can be considered as a DC transformer having modifiable
turn ration D.

2.3. DC Motor Model

The use of DC motors instead of AC motors in PV pumping systems has been the
topic of past research, which has typically found that DC motors may be usefully operated
when directly linked to PV generators where the total system cost and complexity are
modest. However, the goal here is to increase PV system usage and give additional control
flexibility by including a DC–DC power converter.
Previous studies on using DC motors in PV pumping systems instead of AC motors
came to the general conclusion that DC motors can be operated effectively when
connected directly to the PV generators when there is a need for a system with a low
overall cost and complexity. For this application, a permanent magnet DC motor is
suggested since it offers relatively efficient and low-maintenance operation and does not
call for a separate field power source. Also, compared to other PV electro-mechanical
systems, the PMDCM coupled with centrifugal pump has a low starting torque and can
be reasonably readily matched with the output characteristics of the PV array. But, the
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 7 of 14

purpose of this is to increase control flexibility and improve PV system utilization by

adding a DC/DC power converter.
We choose permanent magnet DC motors for this application as they don’t require a
separate field power source and offer rather efficient and low-maintenance operation.
Additionally, the PMDCM connected to the centrifugal pump differs from conventional
PV electromechanical systems in that it has a low beginning torque. In actuality, PMDCM
may be rather easily matched to the PV array’s output characteristics [24].
The corresponding circuit of the permanent magnet DC motor is shown in Figure 5.
The following set of differential equations gives the dynamics equation of the motor at
constant flux:
dI m Vm Rm K
= − Im − e  . (8)
dt Lm Lm Lm

Figure 5. Schematic diagram of the permanent magnet DC motor with coupled by the centrifugal
pump.

In (8), Vm denotes the applied voltage, Rm represents the armature winding

resistance, Lm refers to the armature self-inductance, I m stands for the motor armature
current, K e designates the back e.m.f. constant, and  shows the angular speed of the
rotor. We have

d K m  Kp 2 C
= Im −  −  − , (9)
dt J J J J

where K m represents the torque constant, J refers to the moment of inertia,  denotes
the viscous torque constant for rotational losses, and C stands for the torque constant for
rotational losses.

2.4. Pump
Although both the volumetric pump and the centrifugal pump are widely used in
PV pumping systems, ref. [25] discovered that the centrifugal pump uses much more PV
generator energy than the volumetric pump because the centrifugal pump works for
longer periods even at low insolation levels and its load characteristic is well matched to
the PV generator’s maximum power locus. Furthermore, centrifugal pumps are
economical, simple, need little maintenance, and come in a variety of flow rates and heads.
As a result, a centrifugal pump is taken into account in this job.
In this study, we take into account centrifugal pump whose driving torque is relative
to the square of the rotational speed as stated in [25]. Therefore, we have

Tp = K p  2 , (10)

where T p denotes the torque necessary to ensure the pump driving, and K p represents
the constant for a specific centrifugal pump.
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 8 of 14

3. System Controller
The PV voltage current (I-V) and voltage power (V-P) characteristic curves each have
a unique point, as seen in (Figures 3 and 4). The array’s maximum output power for each
G is produced at this location, known as the maximum power point (MPP).
The aim of the control is to track the maximum power, which slows down the DC
motor speed and lowers the associated centrifugal pump’s water discharge rate. When a
particular circumstance’s PV generator’s output power is at its maximum, the hydraulic
power will be maximum. We have

Pp = KT  . (11)

As a result, at the maximum power point ( Pmax ) , the maximum rotational speed is
reached. A controller is utilized to control the buck converter duty ratio, which adapts the
PVG output power online in order to increase the rotational speed, taking into account
the relationship between the PVG output power and the rotational speed.
The following stages provide the basis for applying the MPPT algorithm’s simple
method.
Step 1: The insulation level is measured online by using a photo sensor.
Step 2: The computing of the reference maximum rotational speed for each insulation
level value is done on line. Applying Equation (12), the relation between the solar
radiation G and the reference speed ref is obtained:

 G
50 + 2 If 0  t  15 s

( t ) =  If 15  t  30 s .
G
ref (12)
 2
 G
50 + 2 If 30  t  45 s

Step 3: This step consists in measuring the real rotational speed from the PV
generator and comparing it to the reference rotational speed (ref ) .
Step 4: In this step, the control variable (duty cycle of the DC-DC converter) is
determined so that the actual generated rotational speed from the PV generator will be
able to track the reference rotational speed (ref ) employing the input–output feedback
linearization [26] and the Lyapunov stability theory [27].
In this work, assuming that all PV energy is delivered to the DC motor (power
converter is ideal). The motor is driven by the maximum power Pmax , for tracking
maximum power points of PV (MPPT).
The idea of accurate input–output feedback linearization and the Lyapunov stability
theory are applied to the control variable (duty cycle of the DC–DC converter) (u = D) with
the ultimate goal of producing a control structure that realizes asymptotic output tracking
in the rotational speed.
Our primary goal is to create a Lyapunov controller that, because of its success in
output tracking, mimics a preset input–output linearizing controller. The PV system’s
state space equations are shown below:

 dI m R K V ph
 = − m Im − e  + u
 dt Lm Lm Lm
 . (13)
 d K m  Kp 2 C
 dt = J I m − J  − J  − J

The goal of this study is to construct a nonlinear Lyapunov controller by using the
notion of accurate input–output linearization. The input–output feedback linearization,
which uses differential geometric control theory, is well-known in the domain of affine
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 9 of 14

system control [27]. The core principle of this strategy is to use a coordinate transformation
and nonlinear feedback to convert a nonlinear system to a (fully or partially) linear one.
In reality, for single-input, single-output affine nonlinear systems, input–output feedback
linearization is an excellent technique for attaining complete control of a set point
tracking.
Significant advances in nonlinear control over the last decade have enabled the
creation of nonlinear tracking control schemes that make full use of current nonlinear
models over a greater working region. Input-output feedback linearization, which uses
differential geometric control theory, and input-state feedback linearization techniques
based on an approximate linearization of the process model are two key approaches to
the construction of control structures for nonlinear systems. Some researchers have
investigated their usage in the control of nonlinear systems such as aircraft and power
electrical systems.
To begin, the input-output feedback linearization theory is well-known in the
domain of affine system control. The core principle of this strategy is to use a coordinate
transformation and nonlinear feedback to convert a nonlinear system to a (fully or
partially) linear one.
In reality, for single-input single-output affine nonlinear systems, input-output
feedback linearization is an efficient DC-DC converter for obtaining flawless control of a
fixed point tracking. Second, for nonlinear controller design, the linearization-based
input-state has been used in a variety of engineering applications or following preset
reference trajectories.
The model depicting the dynamics of a PV system (13) is written under the dynamical
form below:

x = f ( x ) + g ( x )u
 , (14)
 y = h ( x )

 R K 
 − m Im − e  
h ( x ) =
T
x =  I m   L L
with the state vector, , f ( x) =  m m  and
K 
m I −   − p 2 − C
K
 m 
 J J J J
 V ph 
 
g ( x ) =  Lm  .
 0 
 
First of all, we derive the output y =  to the relative degree


 Km  Kp 2 C
 y = = J Im − J  − J  − J

= L f h ( x )

  C   2 2 K pC K m K e   K K R 
 y =  = 2 +  2 + 2
−   −  2m + m m  I m .
 (15)
 J J J J Lm   J J 

   K p 2K p  2  K p 3 2K p K m
2
K mV ph
+  2 + 2 
 + 2  − 2
I m + u
  J J  J J J Lm
 2
= L f h ( x ) + Lg L f ( x ) u

The relative degree r = 2, is equal to the order of the system (13). Employing z as state
variable, system (13), we have

 z1 = z2
 . (16)
 z2 = L f h ( x ) + Lg L f h ( x ) u
2
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 10 of 14

Because our objective consists in obtaining z1 =ref , a tracking error is defined as

follows:

e1 = ref −  .

 (17)
e2 = ref − 


We select an input–output linearizing controller so that

uIo =
J Lm
K mV ph
(
− L2f h ( x ) + ref − 6e1 − 11e2 ). (18)

The resulting closed loop system becomes linear and one has

0 1 
e=  . (19)
 −6 −11
We take into account the Lyapunov controller analytic expression written below,

uIo = T e ( t ) , T =  1 2  , (20)

where  is adjusted such that in the limit we have

uL = T e ( t ) = uIo . (21)

The asterisk in  designates the optimal gain vector. By replacing u L in (16), the
following equation is obtained:

z2 = L2f h ( x ) + Lg L f h ( x ) uL . (22)

This equation can be reformulated as follows:

K mV ph
z2 = ref − 6e1 − 11e2 − (uIo − uL ) . (23)
J Lm

Therefore, we obtain

( − )
K mV ph T
e2 = 6e1 + 11e2 + e. (24)
J Lm

If we define

 0 
0 0   
A=   and B =  K mV ph  ,
 −6 −11  J Lm 

we get the closed loop system shown below:

e = Ae + B  − ( ) Te . (25)

Because is Hurwitz stable, it should be noted that for any positive definite matrix,
there exists a positive definite matrix that satisfies the following Lyapunov equation:

AT P + P A = − Q . (26)

Considering system (24), we apply a Lyapunov candidate function

V ( e ,  ) = eT P e +
1

( −  ) T ( −  ) . (27)

The Lyapunov controller uL = T e ( t ) is so well defined by choosing  that

Energies 2023, 16, 2241 11 of 14

t
 =   e ( t ) P B e ( t ) dt ,   0 .
T
(28)
0

Therefore, the Lyapunov controller output can be written under the following form:

( )
uL = 1  − ref + 2  − ref ( ), (29)

where
t
J Lm 
( ) ( )( − ref )  dt
2

K mV ph 0 
1 = 0.8  9.69  − ref + 11.56  − ref

and
t
J Lm 
( )( − ref ) + 11.56 ( − ref )  dt
2

K mV ph 0 
 2 = 0.8  9.69  − ref 


4. Simulation Results
The proposed PV water-pumping system was simulated by using
MATLAB/Simulink by utilizing the component models, shown in Section 2, along with
the control system described in Section 3. The values of the taken numerical parameter are
shown in Table 2 [24].

Table 2. Nominal parameters for the PV system.

Rated Motor Voltage 60 V

Rated motor current 16.5 A
Rated voltage speed 272.3 rad s
Armature resistance 0 .8 
Armature inductance 0.04 H
Voltage and torque constant 0.175 rad s
Moment of inertia 0.024 kg m2
Torque of constant for rotational losses 0.024 N m
Viscose friction coefficient 001N m

For that reason, a comparison between a directly linked system and the suggested
technique under various solar insolation levels has been done in order to verify the
effectiveness of the proposed control law. As depicted in Figure 6, it is assumed that the
solar insolation level would vary abruptly to and from. The proposed approach and the
directly linked system’s corresponding PV power and motor speed responses to changes
in solar insolation are depicted in Figures 7 and 8. These figures show how the new
technique and the directly connected system’s motor speed alter in response to changes
in solar insolation, respectively.
Energies 2023, 16, 2241 12 of 14

800

700

600
Sola irradiation [W/m2]

500

400

300

200

100

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time [s]

Figure 6. Evolution of solar insulation level (G).

600
Direct
500 NL approach
PV Power [W]

400

300

200

100

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time [s]
Figure 7. Evolution of the photovoltaic output power for different solar insolation.

350
Direct
NL approach
300
Reference
Motor Speed [rad/s]

250

200

150

100
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time [s]

Figure 8. Evolution of the rotational speed for different solar insolation.

Energies 2023, 16, 2241 13 of 14

Simulation results demonstrate that our method outperforms the directly connected
system in the event of a sudden variation in insolation.
Figure 8 demonstrates how our controller’s use was responsible for the case’s flawless
concordance between the reference rotational speed trajectory and the tracking trajectory.
As a result, the amount of water that is daily pumped by using the suggested method
is more significant than the amount of water that is pumped by a directly connected
system.

5. Conclusions
In a PV pumping system, a nonlinear Lyapunov controller was developed and
employed. A PV generator powers a DC motor pump system using a buck DC–DC
converter in the regulated system. The control was primarily used to track and run the
motor-pump system at the PV generator’s MPPT by adjusting the duty ratio of the DC–
DC converter. In Matlab-Simulink, the entire system was simulated, and the effectiveness
of the added nonlinear controller was assessed and contrasted with that of a directly
linked system operated at the same insolation levels. The results of the simulation
demonstrated the benefits of the proposed technique, the adoption of which improved the
amount of energy produced by the PVG and increased the capacity of the PV water
pumping system in comparison to a system without MPPT.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, K.J. and A.M.; methodology, K.J. ; validation, K.J. and
A.M.; formal analysis K.J.; investigation, K.J.; writing A.M.; writing—review and editing, K.J. and
Adel Madani.; visualization, K.J. and A.M.; supervision, K.J. and A.M. All authors have read and
agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research received no external funding
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at Umm
Al-Qura University for supporting this work by Grant Code: (22UQU 4331302DSR04).
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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