An Analog Global Maximum Power Point Tracking for photovoltaic systems: Application to nanospacecrafts

In this work, an Analog Global Maximum Power Point Tracker (A-GMPPT) is introduced and discussed. The underlying idea of this A-GMPPT is the peak power tracking using a capacitive load, in particular the filter input capacitance of the DC/DC converter. Therefore, this technique is well suited for photovoltaic-battery systems and it could be a replacement for traditional open circuit Maximum Power Point Trackers. An interesting field of application is on nanospacecraft power systems, especially in those that include complex photovoltaic arrangements prone to exhibit multiple local maximum power points. Description, simulation and experimental validation of the proposed method is detailed in this paper.