A system for converting DC power to AC power suitable for an AC power grid, said DC power coming from either at least one PV panel or an energy storage subsystem, the system comprising:
- a DC/DC low voltage converter for producing output DC power from received from at least one PV panel, said output DC power being for charging an energy storage subsystem;
- a bi-directional high voltage DC/DC converter for converting low voltage DC power from said energy storage subsystem into high voltage DC power, said high voltage DC/DC converter being coupled to said energy storage subsystem;
- a DC/AC inverter receiving high voltage DC power from said high voltage DC/DC converter, said DC/AC inverter being for converting said high voltage DC power from said high voltage DC/DC converter into AC power suitable for use with a utility grid, said DC/AC inverter being coupled between said high voltage DC/DC converter and said grid;
- and
- a control system for controlling parameters across components of said system,
- wherein said DC/DC low voltage converter comprises:
- a power circuit for converting incoming power from said at least one PV panel into output power suitable for charging said energy storage subsystem;
- and
- a control system comprising:
- an MPPT/charge controller for maximizing power harvested from said at least one PV panel when said energy storage subsystem requires charging and for limiting said output power when said energy storage subsystem does not require charging, said MPPT/charge controller receiving power characteristics of said at least one PV panel and of said energy storage subsystem, said MPPT/charge controller controlling said output power by producing a reference inductor current value based on said power characteristics such that said reference inductor current value is adjusted based on whether said energy storage subsystem requires charging;
- a differential geometric controller for determining vector fields necessary such that voltages of flying capacitors in said power circuit, over time, converge to an optimum value, said differential geometric controller receiving, as input, voltages of said flying capacitors in said power circuit and producing data detailing desired vector fields;
- a current controller receiving a reference inductor current value from said MPPT/charge controller and receiving an actual inductor current value from an inductor in said power circuit, said current controller producing data detailing a duration of application for said desired vector fields;
- a geometric modulator receiving said data detailing desired vector fields and data detailing said duration of application for said desired vector fields, said geometric modulator producing switching pulses for semiconductors in said power circuit based on said desired vector fields and on said duration of application for said desired vector fields.