Economical, PV maximum power point tracking regulator with simplistic controller

A 30% cost reduction of photovoltaic generation can be brought about by the investment in a novel, highly efficient maximum power point tracker (MPPT). Such a power converter is currently under development, implementing a feedforward output current controller as tracking algorithm. The DC-DC power converter, typical of a MPPT, exploits the efficient high-frequency operation, associated with zero-transition switching. Thus the output filter only consists of the combination of a storage battery and its cabling. The resulting power converter is suitable for integration into standard PV panels during manufacturing. The efficiency of the MPPT is 96% for a range of output powers at a low battery voltage of 12.5 V and a component cost of US$21.00