Title :
An application of interleaved DC-DC converters to obtain I-V characteristic curves of photovoltaic modules
Author :
Durán, E. ; Galán, J. ; Sidrach-de-Cardona, M. ; Segura, F.
Author_Institution :
Dipt. de Ing. Electron., de Sist. Informaticos y Autom., Univ. of Huelva, Huelva
Abstract :
The basic operation of a solar cell, module or photovoltaic generator under different irradiation and temperature conditions is characterized by its I-V characteristic curve. Only the experimental measurement of the I-V curve allows us to know the electrical parameters of a photovoltaic cell, module or array. This measure provides very relevant information for the design, installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems. Currently, the I-V characteristic curve is obtained by connecting a variable charge to the panel terminals in order to achieve that the current of the terminals ranges from zero to the short circuit current. In this paper, a new experimental methodology to measure this characteristic curve by using several SEPIC converters in parallel connection operating in interleaved mode is proposed. This methodology provides two fundamental advantages for this application as regards the use of a single converter: (1) It allows to reproduce I-V curves of higher power (2) It allows to obtain these curves with lower ripple.
Keywords :
DC-DC power convertors; photovoltaic power systems; short-circuit currents; solar cells; I-V characteristic curves; SEPIC converters; electrical parameters; interleaved DC-DC converters; photovoltaic generator; photovoltaic modules; short circuit current; solar cell; DC-DC power converters; Electric variables measurement; Joining processes; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic systems; Pollution measurement; Power generation; Solar power generation; Temperature dependence; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Industrial Electronics, 2008. IECON 2008. 34th Annual Conference of IEEE
Conference_Location :
Orlando, FL
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1767-4
Electronic_ISBN :
1553-572X
DOI :
10.1109/IECON.2008.4758313