Very thin flexible coupled inductors for PV module integrated GaN converter

As the PV energy penetrates into the urban area, shortcomings of the conventional centralized PV system architectures become more pronounced under the influence of urban environment with shading, soiling and orientation mismatch issues. To overcome these limitations new PV system architectures were proposed with more granular power processing by means of distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT). This is achieved by adjoining a MPPT unit to each PV module in the PV array. This paper presents a step further in the distributed power tracking approach, with a concept of very low profile power converter integrated directly into a low cost flexible PV module. Additional problems arise in this case, specifically in magnetics design, due to the requirements for very low profile flexible construction and limited thermal headroom. Overcoming these limitations presents a challenge, but can lead to a cost effective, reliable solution for PV systems with improved integration level and power density.