Partial energy processing converters for a high efficiency and full mppt range pv module integrated converter mic

Abstract

In this patent document, the partial energy processing (PEP) concept is developed to achieve a high-efficiency and full MPPT range PV MIC. For PEP the energy is flown from the source to the load through multiple paths. The total energy then is divided into arbitrary portions in power-time plane and each portion is transferred through a different path to achieve the best conversion performance. A three path PEP structure that is specifically suitable for PV MIC application is proposed and realized in component level. A 220 W prototype converter is implemented to justify the converter principal of operation and analyses. Using the proposed PV MIC, MPPT is achieved for the full range of the PV power generation while 99.6% to 96.5% efficiency is achieved for the power mismatches in the PV module ranging from 0 to 50% of the maximum module power generation capability, respectively. The efficiency drop is shown to be linear with power mismatch level without any abrupt reductions that is commonly observed in conventional PV module integrated converters.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.