A study into the impact of the choice of Maximum Power Point Tracking Technique on the Reliablilty of the Power Electronics Interface for Photovoltaic Systems

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are becoming increasingly common as residential distributed generators, however these systems can be severely limited by the presence of partial shading conditions (PSC). When bypass diodes are installed in the system to mitigate the impact of PSC, the Power-Voltage (P-V) characteristics become more complex and multiple maxima are observed. This has necessitated the development of advanced Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) techniques. Advanced MPPT techniques can increase power capture under PSC, however their impact on the reliability of power electronics interfaces is not yet fully understood. This paper will present a preliminary study into the reliability implications of the choice of MPPT method on diodes in a power electronics interface. The preliminary results indicate that the choice of MPPT method may affect the reliability of the power electronics interface as evidenced through large changes in the simulated junction temperature of the diode due to power losses.