Experimental investigation and analysis of a distributed MPPT system for a small-scale photovoltaic installation
Abstract: The focus of this thesis is the integration of distributed MPPT solutionswith existing photovoltaic systems. Power electronics are used to optimizethe output power from solar panels. Different topologies are used where adc/dc converter carries out the optimization task for one or more strings ofsolar panels. When connected in series, the same current flows through allthe panels. Shading and mismatch lead to sub-optimal operation, not only ofsingle panels but of every panel connected to the string. The installation ofoptimizers on all panels might prove to be a way to mitigate the power lossdue to mismatch, shading and faulty panels.The main goal of this thesis was to evaluate the performance of a PV plantusing a combination of a PV string optimizer and single panel optimizers. Themethod for this thesis consisted of field experiments, where the power outputwas measured for an existing PV plant with a string inverter. Two strings wereused, a control string with only the string optimizer and a test string usingpanel optimizers. The tests were conducted under various shading scenarios.The results show that there is an increase of between 1−3% energy productionusing panel optimizers.
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