Title :
A high power density DC-DC converter for distributed PV architectures
Author :
Agamy, Mohammed S. ; Chi, Song ; Elasser, Ahmed ; Harfman-Todorovic, Maja ; Jiang, Yan ; Mueller, Frank ; Tao, Fengfeng
Author_Institution :
School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, V1Y 9W9 Canada
Abstract :
In order to maximize the solar energy harvesting capabilities, power converters for photovoltaic (PV) systems have to be designed for high efficiency, accurate maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and voltage/current performance. When many converters are used in distributed PV systems, power density also becomes an important factor since it allows for simpler system integration. In this paper, a high power density string level MPPT DC-DC converter suitable for distributed medium to large scale PV installations is presented. A simple partial power processing topology implemented exclusively with silicon carbide devices provides high efficiency and high power density. A 3.5kW, 100 kHz converter is designed and tested to verify the proposed methods.
Keywords :
Insulated gate bipolar transistors; Inverters; Logic gates; Silicon; Silicon carbide; Switches; Topology; DC-DC converters; Partial power processing; Silicon carbide devices; distributed PV architectures;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), Volume 2, 2012 IEEE 38th
Conference_Location :
Austin, TX, USA
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC-Vol2.2012.6656721
