Half bridge LLC resonant DC-DC converter for solar array simulator application

Extraction of maximum power/energy from solar array is a matter of concern, in the panel connected to DC-DC converters, because of the nonlinear characteristics of the PV array. Maximum power point in the i-v characteristics of the array varies with the solar irradiance and temperature. Solar array simulators (SASs) are used to emulate the photovoltaic(PV) panel output under different environmental conditions and to evaluate the dynamic performance of Power Conditioning System(PCS). This paper proposes a half bridge LLC resonant DC-DC converter. This converter has zero voltage turn on of its primary switches thus reducing losses. It also reduces the voltage stress across the resonant capacitor. The output of the converter can be controlled by frequency modulation control.