Photovoltaic hybrid power harvesting system for emergency applications

A photovoltaic (PV) based hybrid power harvesting system is proposed for emergency applications. It can compensate for the sudden loss of grid power and is suitable for developing countries and rural areas with unreliable power systems. The PV energy harvesting module uses a reconfigurable PV harvester which combines an isolated SEPIC DC-DC converter with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) to reduce complexity and increase efficiency. Source-selection control has been implemented to decide which source, PV or ac grid, to use for delivering power under different operating conditions. A synchronous-rectified flyback converter with non-complimentary active clamping and peak current mode control is applied to verify the feasibility of the PV hybrid power harvesting system. The simulation results with a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) load have shown that the PV hybrid power harvesting system can be an optional solution to rural lighting problems.