A buck-boost DC-DC converter for single module photovoltaic application to vehicle recharge

Maximizing the photovoltaic generation requires efficient photovoltaic modules as well as suitable conversion systems. Additionally, the diffusion of recent photovoltaic technologies (e.g., CIGS), instead of Silicon-based cells, involves different voltage ranges. This, combined with the diffusion of small islanded systems (i.e. composed by one or a few modules), requires the study of a new conversion device. In this paper, the authors propose the use of a power electronic converter having a topology that is not usually found in PV applications, which is able to manage non-conventional voltage ranges and allows enlarging the operative interval of a small-scale plant.