Title :
A high-efficiency maximum power point tracker for photovoltaic arrays in a solar-powered race vehicle
Author :
Sullivan, Charles R. ; Powers, Matthew J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., California Univ., Berkeley, CA, USA
Abstract :
A maximum power point tracker for photovoltaic arrays is presented. Components are optimized for weight/power-loss tradeoff in a solar-powered vehicle, resulting in over 97% efficiency. The control circuit uses a robust auto-oscillation method. Measurement and multiplication of array voltage and current is shown to be unnecessary, and the control is based only on output current measurement. Multiple local maxima arising from partial shading of the solar array are discussed
Keywords :
DC-DC power convertors; electric current control; electric vehicles; optimal control; photovoltaic power systems; position control; robust control; solar cell arrays; solar cells; tracking; voltage control; efficiency; maximum power point tracker; optimisation; output current measurement; partial shading; photovoltaic arrays; positioning; robust auto-oscillation method; solar cells; solar-powered race vehicle; weight/power-loss tradeoff; Batteries; Circuits; Current measurement; DC motors; Photovoltaic systems; Power engineering computing; Solar power generation; Solar powered vehicles; Temperature; Voltage control;
Conference_Titel :
Power Electronics Specialists Conference, 1993. PESC '93 Record., 24th Annual IEEE
Conference_Location :
Seattle, WA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1243-0
DOI :
10.1109/PESC.1993.471984
