INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EMERGING TRENDS IN ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT

Issue 2, Vol.6.(SEPTEMBER-2012)
ISSN 2249-6149

BUCK BOOST- BRIDGE PHOTOVOLTAIC

MICROCONVERTER
P.HEMALATHA
Asst.Prof. ECE DEPARTMENT,
MUTHAYAMMAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE,
NAMAKKAL-637 408, TAMILNADU, INDIA.

Abstract-The buck boost -bridge photovoltaic microconverter is a

Series strings of photovoltaic modules with integrated dc-dc
microconverter. A multi-mode dc-dc converter as a candidate
microconverter topology for photovoltaic modules. The topology
constitutes a single inductor and four switching devices and can
function in either buck, boost or an intermediate bridge mode
based on the load. The proposed microconverters harvest more
energy Compared to conventional string-inverter architectures if
the arrays are partially shaded or the modules mismatched. The
inverter inverts the dc voltage of microconverter topology into ac
output. The proposed maximum power point tracking scheme is
capable of tracking the true maximum even in partially-shaded PV
modules. Matlab simulations are used to compare the efficiency of
each topology as well as evaluating the benefits of increasing cost
and complexity. The buck boost bridge photovoltaic
microconverters are shown to be the most efficient topologies for a
given cost, with the buck best suited for long strings and the boost
for short strings.
Index Terms DCDC converter (micro-converter), grid connected
photovoltaic module (PV), string inverter.

I.

INTRODUCTION

The growing nationwide interest in photovoltaic power

systems has induced significant expansion and R&D efforts in
the PV field. Grid-tied Photovoltaic (PV) installations are
commonly built with arrays of PV modules series-connected to
string inverters. An emerging system architecture that
supplements the string-inverter paradigm involves dc-dc
converters (referred to here as microconverters) dedicated to
individual PV modules. Several advantages of microconverters
have been postulated and demonstrated [1]-[2]. In particular,
conventional systems are known to under perform if individual
modules in a series string are partially shaded (due to cloud
cover or shadowing), illuminated non-uniformly (due to
different roof angles in residential settings), or mismatched (due
to aging or manufacturing differences). Reference [1] presents a
comparison of basic power converter circuits (buck, boost, buckboost, and Ck) adopted as PV microconverters. Our work seeks
a topology and control technique that maximizes versatility and
efficiency. The chosen circuit extends the buck-boost power
stage presented in [2]. Synchronous rectification achieves
efficiency above 95%, while a high switching frequency of 250
kHz enables the use of small passive components, eliminating
the need for electrolytic capacitors and guaranteeing a compact
form factor.

II.

SERIES CONNECTED PV PANELS

These dc energy sources are all series and parallel

connections of a basic cell. These cells all operate at a low dc
voltage, ranging from less than 1 V (PV cell) to 3 or 4 V (Li Ion
cell). These low voltages do not interface well to existing higher
power systems, so the cells are series connected to create a
battery, a fuel cell stack, or a PV module or panel with a higher
terminal voltage. (The term PV panel rather than PV module will
be used in this paper to avoid confusion with the proposed
attached power electronic modules.) For example 12 -V PV
panels have 36 solar cells with a maximum power point (MPP)
of approximately 1617 V under standard test conditions. These
system voltages are appropriate for lower power systems, but
beyond powers of a few hundred Watts (W), these panels
themselves are placed in series strings to maintain lower currents
and higher efficiencies. These long strings of panels (and hence
cells) bring with them many complications. PV panels in a string
are never exactly identical. Because PV panels in a series string
are constrained to all conduct the same current, the least efficient
panel, and indeed cell, sets this string current. The overall
efficiency of the array is reduced to the efficiency of this cell.
This also means that PV panels in a string must be given the
same orientation and be of identical size .

Fig. 1. Micro converter System Architecture

Page 575

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EMERGING TRENDS IN ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT

Issue 2, Vol.6.(SEPTEMBER-2012)
ISSN 2249-6149

III.

BUCK/BOOST BRIDGE POWER STAGE

The power stage, illustrated in Fig.2, comprises buck side

switches, S1-S2, boost-side switches, S3-S4, an inductor, L, and
input and output capacitors, Ci and Co, respectively .In addition,
there are low-side current sensing resistors and buffer amplifiers
to enable the acquisition of input and output voltage and current
as well as 5V and 12V on-board house-keeping supplies
powered by the PV source. The power stage is intended to be
compatible with a wide variety of PV sources and a string
inverter loads. In addition, it is expected to harvest energy from
partially-shaded PV sources. To accomplish these goals, the
topology must operate in buck mode or boost mode.
The power stage is designed to operate at a nominal input
maximum power point (MPP) of about 40 V and 5 A (IM, VM).
The inductance is 40 H. At the MPP, continuous current mode
(CCM) buck operation is guaranteed when the input current
exceeds approximately 300 mA for any buck load current.
Similarly, in boost mode, CCM is guaranteed when the input
current exceeds 2 A. PWM constraints are imposed by minimum
switch ON times of 100 nsec (S2 and S4) and 133 nsec (S1 and
S3) and a dead time of 150 nsec at all switch transitions.
Consequently, the buck duty cycle, Dbu (the fraction of S1 ONtime) cannot have a value between 0.9 and 1.0. Likewise, the
boost duty cycle, Dbo (the fraction of S3 ON-time) cannot exist
between 0 and 0.033. The PWM method described below
provides a smooth transition between the buck and boost modes
as load current increases while adhering to all switching
constraints.

In bridge operation, the relative phase of S1 and S3 switching

is chosen to minimize ripple current. The ON time of switch S1
(S3) is symmetrical about the beginning (middle) of the 4 sec
switching period.. Note that in the br-A and br-B modes, outside
the brief shaded time intervals, the voltage across the inductor is
approximately (or in some cases exactly) zero. Thus, the ripple
current is very small, further reducing the conductive power loss
in those switching modes.

Fig. 2. Micro-converter Power Stage Topology

The ideal dc gain of the converter is given by

Buck mode switching, where Dbo = 0, is used for 0<G0.9,

where the minimum S2 ON-time is required. Likewise, boost
mode switching, where Dbu = 1, is used for G>1.034. The duty
cycle resolution is 0.00375% (150 psec steps).To obtain similar
resolution in the buck-to-boost transition range, 0.9 < G < 1.034,
bridge switching is\employed. The bridge mode is divided into
two regions, br-A and br-B, as shown in Fig. 3, where Dbu and
Dbo are plotted as a function of converter gain. At the low-gain
end of br-A, S3 is switched on for its minimum allowable time,
133 nsec, corresponding to Dbo = 0.033. At the same time, Dbu
= 0.875, which results in a gain of 0.9052. To increase the gain
within the br-A region, Dbu is increased up to a maximum of 0.9
(again limited by S2 minimum ON-time), corresponding to a
converter gain of 0.9310. In the br-B region, Dbo is varied while
holding Dbu = 0.9. The high-gain end of br-B, 1.033, is reached
when a smooth transition to boost mode can be made employing
the minimum S3 ON time. It is worth noting that, given the
minimum and dead time switching constraints, this strategy
achieves the minimum possible average inductor current at all
values of gain and therefore minimizes the conductive losses in
the inductor and the switches.

Fig. 3. Dbu and Dbo in the Buck-To-Boost Transition Region

IV.

PV MODEL DESIGN

Based on the parameters, it is easy to formulate a simulation

model with most computer simulation tools. The model shown
in Fig.4 is designed with the Sirnulink" software package. The
photovoltaic output current is represented as a function of
voltage , and voltage-current characteristics configured inside
the box is influenced by insulation and temperature. Look-up
tables are used to represent the relationship between temperature
and parameters (A or R,).

Page 576

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EMERGING TRENDS IN ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT

Issue 2, Vol.6.(SEPTEMBER-2012)
ISSN 2249-6149

Calculating power by using maximum power point tracking

Newtons Raphson Method.
Power using the I-V equation
P = (Ipv-Io*(exp((V+I.*Rs)/Vt/Ns/a)-1)(V+I.*Rs)/Rp).*V.

The current will be affected by the temperature and irradiance

is
dT = T-Tn;
the power and voltage calculated by the equation. The matlab
script file is used to design the PV module (TABLE1).
Fig. 4.simulink model of PV with temperature and irradiance.

V. BUCK AND BOOST OPERATION

The buck and boost operation of converter configuration is
designed based on the operation in buck operation the given
input voltage approximately given as 20 the output voltage is
reduced the current will be increased under the efficiency. In the
same given input the boost operation voltage is increased curren t
value decreased.

(a)

Fig.5.Buck Operation of Micro-Converter

(b)
Fig. 4.(a)simulation waveform of current (I) and voltage(V)
And (b) is simulation waveform of power and voltage of the PV
module
In PV panel design characteristics based on the I-V model
for various kinds of solar arrays. The short circuit voltage (Iscn)
and open circuit current (Vocn) values are 8.21 and 32.9
respectively. Solar array voltage and current at maximum power
point tracking is Imp=7.61, Vmp=26.3.The no of series and
parallel modules are Nss ad Npp.

The DC input voltage of microconverter module is buck or

boost the voltage based on the operation. In boost operation
input is changed to A1,B1, buck operation input is A,B.Under
the nominal temperature boost operation is required.
The simulation model of microconverter system connected
with inverter to convert the DC voltage into required AC
voltage. The final efficiency of the microconverter was over
95% over the range of 20-70W. A string of buck converters
requires many more panels, but can always deliver any
combination of panel power. The buck converter will be the
most efficient topology for a given cost.
Page 577

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EMERGING TRENDS IN ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT

Issue 2, Vol.6.(SEPTEMBER-2012)
ISSN 2249-6149

TABLE1
MATLAB SCRIPT FILE
clear all
clc
% You may change these parameters to fit the I-V model
% to other kinds of solar arrays.
Iscn = 8.21;
%Nominal short-circuit voltage [A]
Vocn = 32.9;
%Nominal array open-circuit voltage [V]
Imp = 7.61;
%Array current @ maximum power point [A]
Vmp = 26.3;
%Array voltage @ maximum power point [V]
Pmax_e = Vmp*Imp; Array maximum output peak power [W]
Kv = -0.123;
%Voltage/temperature coefficient [V/K]
Ki = 3.18e-3;
%Current/temperature coefficient [A/K]
Ns = 54;
%Number of series cells
%% Array with Nss x Npp modules
Nss = 15;
Npp = 2;
%% Constants
k = 1.3806503e-23; %Boltzmann [J/K]
q = 1.60217646e-19; %Electron charge [C]
a = 1.3;
%Diode constant
%% Nominal values
Gn = 1000;
% Nominal irradiance [W/m^2] @ 25oC
Tn = 25 + 273.15; % Nominal operating temperature [K]
%% Adjusting algorithm
% The model is adjusted at the nominal condition
T = Tn;
G = Gn;
Vtn = k * Tn / q;
%Thermal junction voltage (nominal)
Vt = k * T / q; %Thermal junction voltage (current temperature)
Ion = Iscn/(exp(Vocn/a/Ns/Vtn)-1);
% Nominal diode saturation current
Io = Ion;
% Initial guesses of Rp and Rs
Rp = Rp_min;
Rs = 0;
tol = 0.001; % Power mismatch Tolerance
P=[0];
error = Inf; %dummy value
% Iterative process for Rs and Rp until Pmax,model =
Pmax,experimental
while (error>tol)
% Temperature and irradiation effect on the current
dT = T-Tn;
Ipvn = (Rs+Rp)/Rp * Iscn; % Nominal light-generated current
Ipv = (Ipvn + Ki*dT) *G/Gn;% Actual light-generated current
Isc = (Iscn + Ki*dT) *G/Gn;
% Actual short-circuit current
% Increments Rs
Rs = Rs + .01;
% Parallel resistance
Rp = Vmp*(Vmp+Imp*Rs)/(Vmp*IpvVmp*Io*exp((Vmp+Imp*Rs)/Vt/Ns/a)+Vmp*Io-Pmax_e);
% Solving the I-V equation for several (V,I) pairs
clear V
clear I
V = 0:.1:35;
% Voltage vector
I = zeros(1,size(V,2)); % Current vector

for j = 1 : size(V,2) %Calculates for all voltage values

% Solves g = I - f(I,V) = 0 with Newton-Raphson
g(j) = Ipv-Io*(exp((V(j)+I(j)*Rs)/Vt/Ns/a)-1)-(V(j)+I(j)*Rs)/RpI(j);
while (abs(g(j)) > 0.001)
g(j) = Ipv-Io*(exp((V(j)+I(j)*Rs)/Vt/Ns/a)-1)-(V(j)+I(j)*Rs)/RpI(j);
glin(j) = -Io*Rs/Vt/Ns/a*exp((V(j)+I(j)*Rs)/Vt/Ns/a)-Rs/Rp-1;
end
end % for j = 1 : size(V,2)
plott = 1; %Enables plotting during the algorithm execution
% Calculates power using the I-V equation
P = (Ipv-Io*(exp((V+I.*Rs)/Vt/Ns/a)-1)-(V+I.*Rs)/Rp).*V;
if (plott)
%Plots P x V curve
plot(V,P,'LineWidth',2,'Color','k')
%Plots the "remarkable points" on the power curve
plot([0 Vmp Vocn],[0 Vmp*Imp
0],'o','LineWidth',2,'MarkerSize',5,'Color','k')
end % if (plott)
end % while (error>tol)
%% Outputs
% I-V curve
figure(1)
grid on
hold on , title('Adjusted I-V curve');
xlabel('V [V]'); ylabel('I [A]');
xlim([0 Vocn+1]); ylim([0 Iscn+1])
plot(V,I,'LineWidth',2,'Color','k')
plot([0 Vmp Vocn ],[Iscn
Imp0],'o','LineWidth',2,'MarkerSize',5,'Color','k')
% P-V curve
figure(2)
grid on
hold on , title('Adjusted P-V curve');
xlabel('V [V]'); ylabel('P [W]');
xlim([0 Vocn+1]); ylim([0 Vmp*Imp+1]);
plot(V,P,'LineWidth',2,'Color','k') plot([0 Vmp Vocn ],[0
Pmax_e 0],'o','LineWidth',2,'MarkerSize',5,'Color','k')

Fig.6. DC output of Buck-Boost Bridge Photovoltaic MicroConverter and required inverter AC output
Page 578

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EMERGING TRENDS IN ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT

Issue 2, Vol.6.(SEPTEMBER-2012)
ISSN 2249-6149

V.

CONCLUSION

New residential scale photovoltaic (PV) arrays are commonly

connected to the grid by one of two approachesa single dcac
inverter connected to a series string of PV panels, or many small
dcac inverters which connect one or two panels directly to the
ac grid. In buck boost bridge photovoltaic micro-converter PV
panels are integrated with micro-converter blocks. A microconverter approach offers many advantages including
1) Better protection of PV sources and redundancy in the case of
source or converter failure.
2) Easier and safer installation and maintenance.
3) Better data gathering.
In this micro-converter system buck and boost the required
voltage. The efficiency of the system is improved above 95%
under wide load range conditions. The string inverter with
micro-converter system obtain the maximum voltage even the
PV modules are partially shaded.

APPENDIX
MATLAB SCRIPT FILE
This Matlab script file (see Table I) is used to design PV
module. The output voltage and power characteristics are
obtained.

REFERENCE
1). Richard K. Hester, Christopher Thornton, Sairaj Dhople, Zheng Zhao,
Nagarajan Sridhar, and Dave Freeman, High Efficiency Wide Load Range
Buck/Boost/Bridge Photovoltaic Microconverter, Texas Instruments 12500 TI
Blvd., Dallas, TX 75243.
2). G. R. Walker and P. C. Sernia, Cascaded dc-dc converter connection of
photovoltaic modules, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics,vol. 19, pp.
1130-1139, July 2004.
3). L. Linares, R. W. Erickson, S. MacAlpine, and M. Brandemuehl, Improved
energy capture in series string photovoltaics via smart distributed power
electronics, in Proc. IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference, 2009, pp.
904-910.
4). M. Calais, J. M. A. Myrzik, and V. G. Agelidis, Inverters for single phase
grid connected photovoltaic systemsoverview and prospects, in Proc. 17th
PV Solar Energy Conf. and Exhibition, Mnich, Germany,
Oct. 2001.
5). S. R. Wenham, M. A. Green, and M. Watt, Applied Photovoltaics. Sydney,
Australia: Univ. New South Wales, 1994.
6). Weidong Xiao William G. Dunford Antoine Capel A Novel Modeling
Method for Photovoltaic Cells University of British Columbia, BC Canada
Vancouver.
7).Weidong Xiao William G. Dunford Antoine Capel A Novel Modeling
Method for Photovoltaic Cells University of British Columbia, BC Canada
Vancouver.
8). J. A. Cow and C.D. Manning, Development of a photovoltaic array model
for me in power-electronics simulation studies, IEE Proc. Electr. Power Appl.,
Vol. 146, Na.2, pp.193-200, March 1999.
9). N. Mohan, T. M. Undeland, and. P. Robbins, Power Electronics: Converters,
Applications, and Design, 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1995.
10). D. Shmilovitz, On the control of photovoltaic maximum power point
tracker via output parameters, IEE Proc. Electric Power Applications, vol.
152, pp. 239-248, Mar. 2005.

Page 579