In this study, the advanced topologies of a DC–DC converter for applications involving the harvesting of solar energy are discussed. This work’s primary contribution is a guide for choosing the most effective topology for a DC–DC converter when developing solar energy collection systems. Several topologies of a DC–DC converter for solar energy harvesting applications are compared in terms of the range of power levels they can oversee, the complexity of the underlying hardware, the cost of implementation, the tracking efficiency and the overall efficiency of the converter. This article explains five innovative approaches for adapting boost converters to function as standard DC–DC converters to capture solar energy, consisting of (i) voltage-multiplier cell, (2) coupled inductor, (3) coupled inductor and switch capacitor, (4) cascaded topology and (5) voltage-lift technique. Because of the boost converter’s restrictions, it is necessary to deliver high performance. The comparison findings demonstrate that the voltage-lift-based boost-converter topology performs more effectively than the alternatives. In conclusion, the information presented in this paper can be utilized when developing solar energy collection systems to determine the sort of direct current to direct current converter that will be most effective.

The primary challenge in renewable-energy utilization is an energy-storage system involving its power converter. The systems have to promise high efficiency, reliability and durability. Also, all of these can be realized at an economical cost. Buck and boost converters connected in parallel can convert power in both directions. It is the basic non-isolated bidirectional topology commonly used with energy-storage systems. The primary issue with the buck–boost non-isolated bidirectional converter is how to enhance its performance, so the modification involving this topology is still conducted. This paper examines 29 proposed converters from 30 research publications published in the last 10 years, the most recent of which focuses on modified non-isolated bidirectional converters based on the buck–boost topology. These are classified into eight modification schemes, which involve adding new components or circuits to the base topology. Each is evaluated against six parameters: the number of components, control complexity, power-rating applications, soft-switching ability, efficiency outcome and capacity to minimize losses. Moreover, each modified non-isolated bidirectional converter was compared from the renewable-energy-based power-generation-source perspective utilized. Based on these studies, researchers might think of ways to improve the buck–boost converter by changing it to make a new non-isolated bidirectional converter that can be used in systems that need it.

Modernisation of DC-DC converter topologies for solar energy harvesting applications: A review

In a power plant such as micro-hydropower (MHP), an induction generator (IG) is usually employed to produce electrical power. Therefore, an inverter is needed to deliver it with high efficiency. Z-source inverter (ZSI) has been introduced as a topology with many advantages over conventional inverters. This research aims to investigate the performance of ZSI based simple boost control (SBC) in laboratory-scale MHP systems using a rewinding induction generator. This research has been conducted both from simulations and experiments. Based on the result, the waveform characteristic and value of ZSI are close to the desired design. A shoot-through duty ratio of 17% can reach 60 Vrms output voltage, and this condition has a conversion ratio of about 2.05 times. Also, SBC can significantly reduce the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). ZSI efficiency has a value of 84.78% at 50% of rating load 100 W and an average value of 80%. Compared to the previous study, the proposed design has more economical with the same component for the higher rating power. Moreover, it has a smoother and entire output waveform of the voltage.

Modified SEPIC Converter Performance for Grid-connected PV Systems under Various Conditions

Conventional buck converter (CBC) topology has been widely used as power electronics devices to step-down dc voltage. A significant output ripple and low efficiency become problems faced by CBC. Optimizing CBC can use an interleaving technique resulting in interleaved buck converter (IBC) topology dedicated to overcoming output ripple. Unfortunately, the comprehensive study comparing conventional buck and interleaved topology still have not acquired special attention. This paper compares both topologies to explain how the interleaving technique can improve conventional circuit performance. Simulations were carried out in PSIM software by considering parasitic elements to obtain results close to the general hardware implementation. From the results, the capacitance of the output filter and inductor current ripple using IBC configuration can decrease. Also, the dynamic response of IBC is faster than CBC to achieve steady-state conditions in various inductor current ripple designs. By applying the interleaving technique in CBC, the average efficiency can be increased around 0.43% of the 250 W power rating device. It was proven that the interleaving technique improves the performance of conventional topology.