Title :
A novel maximum power point tracker for PV systems
Author :
Chung, Henry S H ; Tse, K.K. ; Hui, S.Y.R. ; Mok, C.M.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electron. Eng., City Univ. of Hong Kong, China
Abstract :
A novel technique for efficiently extracting the maximum output power from a solar panel under varying meteorological conditions is presented. The methodology is based on connecting a pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) DC/DC SEPIC or Cuk converter between a solar panel and a load or battery bus. The converter operates in discontinuous capacitor voltage mode whilst its input current is continuous. By modulating a small-signal sinusoidal perturbation into the duty cycle of the main switch and comparing the maximum variation in the input voltage and the voltage stress of the main switch, the maximum power point of the panel can be located. This approach ensures maximum power transfer under all conditions without using microprocessors for calculation. The tracking capability of the proposed technique has been verified experimentally with a 10 W solar panel at different insolation levels and under simulated large-signal insolation level changes
Keywords :
DC-DC power convertors; PWM power convertors; control system synthesis; optimal control; photovoltaic power systems; power system control; solar cell arrays; 10 W; Cuk converter; DC/DC SEPIC converter; DC/DC power conversion; PV power systems; continuous input current; control design; control performance; discontinuous capacitor voltage mode operation; insolation levels; main switch duty cycle; maximum power point tracker; small-signal sinusoidal perturbation modulation; solar panel; tracking capability; varying meteorological conditions; Batteries; Capacitors; Joining processes; Meteorology; Power generation; Pulse width modulation; Pulse width modulation converters; Stress; Switches; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, 2001. APEC 2001. Sixteenth Annual IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6618-2
DOI :
10.1109/APEC.2001.911667
