Analysis of supercapacitor connection to PV power conditioning systems for improoved performance

PV generation systems are characterized by the variability of the power produced due to environmental conditions and changing sun irradiance. In addition, PV panels do not have overload capability and therefore they cannot supply power above their maximum power points during load transients. To solve these issues the use of energy buffer elements such as Supercapacitors has been proposed, which can provide energy to ride through short term generation reduction due to passing clouds or panel shading and can release energy during load transients, thus improving panel characteristics. In this paper analysis of different possible connection points of Supercapacitor banks to a power conditioning system for PV applications has been done. It is shown analytically that the use of an additional DC-DC Converter to connect the supercapacitors to the power conditioner DC-link is the most advantageous option in terms of system performance. Results are validated through computer simulations.