| Abstract |
Important drawbacks of photovoltaics are the high costs, especially for the solar
cells. The new single cell concept, presented in this paper, promises substantial cost savings. Single cells, however, generate only 1 .. 2V de. This paper deals with the challenging problem to convert this low de-voltage to 230Vac with an acceptable efficiency. It presents circuits, design criteria, mode of operation and a loss analysis with experimental verification. A prototype
proved the feasibility of the converter concept and showed that conversion efficiencies in the range of 85% to 90% are realistic for a single cell application. The conversion efficiency mainly
depends on the resistance of the input power circuit, which can be reduced by connecting MOSFET's in parallel.
A long-lasting and maintenance-free operation during an operation time of more than 25 years is required for the converter. Avoiding electrolytic capacitors inside is, due to the converters hard environmental operation conditions like the extremely high temperature range of - 40° to +85° C and the daily temperature cycles, an important contribution to fulfil this requirement. |
