Photovoltaic (PV) generation is widely used to solve energy shortage and environment problem. Since the output current of the solar cell will change with the sunlight irradiation, the power of the solar cells are not stable, so there is a need of a storage equipment connected to the PV system. With the characteristics of high efficient energy storage and quick response of the power exchange, the superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) can be used to meet the balance between the grid and the PV. A SMES and PV subsystem are connected together with the DC bus, which have less power electronics elements and can control power quality efficiently than linked with the AC bus. This hybrid system is composed of a DC/AC converter on the grid side, a DC/DC converter with the PV arrays, and a DC chopper with the superconducting magnet. A detailed model of the hybrid system is built with MATLAB/SIMULINK. Simulation results with and without SMES connected to the grid-connected photovoltaic system are presented, compared, and analyzed. The results of simulation demonstrate that the SMES system can maintain the DC bus as a constant value which can contribute to the stability and reliability of the grid-connected PV system.
