An Assessment Framework for PV Parallel MPPT Configuration with a New Utilization for UIPS Loads

Abstract

The prevalence rate of photovoltaics (PV)-based generation systems has increased by more than 15 folds in the last decade, putting it on the top compared to any other power generation system from the expandability point of view. A portion of this huge expansion serves to energize standalone remote areas. Seeking improvements from different aspects of PV systems has been the focus of many studies. In the track of these improvements, parallel MPPT configuration for PV standalone systems have been introduced in the literature as an alternative to a series configuration to improve the overall efficiency of standalone PV systems. However, this efficiency improvement of the parallel MPPT configuration over the series one is not valid for any standalone application, therefore an assessment procedure is required to determine the most efficient MPPT configuration for different standalone applications. Therefore, in this study, an assessment procedure of parallel MPPT is conducted to demonstrate the suitability of utilizing such a configuration compared to series one, based on load daytime energy contributions. This assessment will help PV system designers to determine which MPPT configuration should be selected for applications under study. Furthermore, a new utilization of parallel MPPT configuration is introduced for operating universal input power supply (UIPS) loads to eliminate the inverter stage, thereby increasing the overall system efficiency and reliability. Finally, a systematic procedure to size the complete system is introduced and reinforced by a sizing example.