Group maximum power tracking for distributed power sources

This paper offers a useful application of Uniform Input Voltage Distribution (UIVD) control [6-9] for Distributed-Input Parallel-Output (DIPO) converter power systems. The primary control objective of UIVD for DIPO converters is to achieve grouped maximum power throughput from non-identical renewable power sources. Secondly, this paper features a revised Maximum Power Tracking (MPT) controller design developed for DIPO configurations that facilitate simultaneous processing of distributed power flows. In earlier research, the distributed source peak powers are individually tracked by converters controlled by independent MPT controllers without UIVD. However, when distributed power sources have similar peak power voltages with an achievable tracking efficiency of greater than 96%, such independent MPT controllers are not necessary. By utilizing UIVD control, near-maximum use of available power is achieved using a single MPT controller. The resulting system and control architectures offer near-maximum power transfer with a lower parts count. Two DIPO power converter bus architectures are described herein: one having a battery-dominated output voltage and the other with a regulated output voltage. Through computer simulation and prototype testing, both power architectures are validated for fault-tolerant grouped UIVD control.