Photovoltaic panel integrated power conditioning system using a high efficiency step-up DC–DC converter

This paper presents a high efficiency photovoltaic (PV) panel integrated power conditioning system (PCS) by proposing a high efficiency step-up DC–DC converter. The suggested PCS consists of a high efficiency DC–DC converter and a single-phase DC–AC inverter. Each PV panel has its own DC–AC converter, performing the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) function and increasing its flexibility and expandability. Moreover, the proposed DC–DC converter converts the low PV panel voltage into a high DC-link voltage with a high step-up voltage conversion ratio. It can reduce the switching power losses, increasing the power conversion efficiency. The performance of the suggested PCS has been verified through a 180 W prototype of the PCS for a 60 Hz/120 Vac power grid. The proposed DC–DC converter achieves a high efficiency of 96.0%. The PCS including the DC–DC converter and DC–AC inverter achieves an efficiency of 93.1% with an almost unity power factor.

► This paper presents a “high efficiency” photovoltaic panel integrated “power conditioning system (PCS)” by proposing a high efficiency “step-up DC-DC converter”.
► The PCS using the proposed DC-DC converter has been tested by designing a 180 W prototype system.
► The proposed converter achieves a high efficiency of 96.0 %. The PCS including the DC-DC converter and DC-AC inverter achieves an efficiency of 93.1 %.