Extending the Power Range of a Solar Inverter

Abstract

Solar inverters feature a minimum and maximum limit of the maximum power point voltage. Overcoming these limits leads to a disconnection of the power equipment, thus wasting the solar energy. In this paper, a solution to extend the power range of a solar inverter is presented. The proposed solution extends he minimum maximum power point limit of a commercial solar inverter by means of a battery energy storage system, including a DC/DC power converter. The battery energy storage system is connected in series to the photovoltaic module. If the photovoltaic module voltage drops below the minimum maximum power point limit, the battery energy storage system is enabled thus boosting the input voltage of the solar inverter avoiding any disconnection of the equipment. The model is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink environment. Simulation results are shown to test the efficiency of the proposed solution. As it will be shown by simulation results, even under partial shading conditions, any equipment disconnection is successfully avoided.