Facilitating Maximum Power Point Tracking by Inductor Integration onto a Crystalline Solar Cell

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) modules have considerable difficulty when exposed to shading since even partial blockages can significantly reduce energy production. To make the PV module shade-resilience, sub-module maximum power point tracking(MPPT) can be done for each string in the module. One way of doing it is by using converters at the sub-module level, which can track the string's maximum power point(MPP) by varying its duty cycle. In conventional converter design, inductors are the bulkiest and costliest component used, which eventually makes the application of sub-module MPPT less cost-effective. However, a literature study found that solar cell generates self-impedance under biasing, which opens up the idea for cell-level integration of power electronics. This thesis aims to validate the possibility of using the self-inductance generated in the solar cell for partially designing the DC/DC converter on the solar cell such that MPPT can be performed at the sub-module level. To accomplish this objective, two distinct strategies have been examined: The utilization of solar cell self-inductance for designing a conventional boost converter on a solar cell surface and the integration of a planar coil onto a solar cell for partially designing a DC/DC boost converter.