Ripple effect on photovoltaic power extraction

A method for selecting passive component values for an architecture of distributed power converters that optimize the power extraction from a photovoltaic (PV) device (module, substring, etc.) is proposed in this paper. One of the main factors affecting power extraction efficiency is switching ripple. A technique to determine the switching ripple that propagates from the ladder converter to the PV device is discussed and validated through parametric simulations. A minimum 99% extraction efficiency is obtained selecting the passive components to limit the maximum current or voltage ripples to approximately 10% of the maximum power point (MPP) current or voltage value, respectively.