New EDLC charging system for photovoltaic generation part 1: numerical simulation

A new charging system of electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) by solar cells is proposed in this paper. The maximum power point tracking, which is indispensable for a photovoltaic generation system to keep high efficiency of the solar cells, is realized by changing the number of series and parallel cells. Since the rated voltage of the EDLC element is low, the capacitor bank consists of series connected capacitors. For further improvement of the efficiency, a tap-changer is appended to the capacitor bank. The proposed methods increase the efficiency for a cloudy day and in the early evening. Numerical simulations are carried out using the electro-magnetic transients program for developing the system. Because the developed charging system is composed of only switches, a remarkable miniaturization and weight saving is attained.