A novel hybrid boost converter with extended duty cycles range for tracking the maximum power point in photovoltaic system applications

Nowadays, a large number of power conversion applications is commonly based on DC/DC converters with high voltage boost capability. Different voltage-boosting techniques have been reported in the literature. Each technique has its own merits and demerits depending on the application, cost, complexity, power density, reliability and efficiency. To meet the growing demand for such applications, new power converter topologies are continuously being proposed. This paper focuses on a novel hybrid boost converter, which combines the conventional boost (CB) and the quadratic boost (QB). This new topology allows the extension of the output voltage gain and the duty cycle range regarding to the original topologies. Thus, it ensures high conversion voltage ratio for almost duty cycle values. Consequently, it has two working modes, one as QB mode and the other one as CB mode. In order to verify the performance of the proposed topology, several simulations have been carried out under Matlab/Simulink environment for both QB and CB modes. The well-known P&O algorithm was implemented into a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) board in order to verify experimentally the designed hybrid boost. Experimental results confirm the convenience of the proposed topology for tracking the maximum power point in photovoltaic systems.