In order for photovoltaic systems to gain acceptance as viable energy sources, they must have a sufficient life span and must be optimized to provide maximum power. In order to achieve these goals, several maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms have been developed to ensure the photovoltaic (PV) system operates at maximum efficiency despite changes in temperature, shading, and age of the solar cells. However, the connection of multiple PV systems in parallel cannot be achieved using a single MPPT control due to the characteristic differences in each solar array's orientation, illumination, temperature, composition, and age. The mismatch of the individual PV systems can limit the power output and reliability of the systems, as well as reduce the expected lifetime. Multi-channel PV systems require MPPT controls for each channel, as well as communication between channels so that power extraction is shared among channels. Therefore, an algorithm is presented which includes MPPT and promotes equal power sharing between the sources and the load in order to make multichannel PV systems more robust, reliable, and efficient. The algorithm is implemented using a digital signal processor (DSP), and the validity of the algorithm will be proven using modeling techniques and through the construction of a prototype two-channel PV system. Once the viability of the two channel system has been proven, the expansion of the system to an n-channel system will be discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses1990-2015-1415 |
| Date | 01 January 2004 |
| Creators | Hayman, Rebecca |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | HIM 1990-2015 |
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