Control of integrated Ćuk converter and photovoltaic modules for maximum power generation

Shading of even a single photovoltaic (PV) cell can significantly reduce the power of a module. This paper presents a solution by integrating Ćuk bi-directional converters with PV modules which can allow all modules to operate at their individual maximum power points. This is achieved by applying the novel control strategy which enables proper adjustment of converters' duty ratios under different shading levels. The proposed scheme was verified in SIMULINK/MATLAB simulation and in experiment.