A load-managing photovoltaic system for electric vehicle charging

Electric vehicles have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation if they are charged with clean solar electricity. However, the cost and intermittency of conventional photovoltaic systems make it an expensive and unreliable option. In this paper we present a new topology for photovoltaic systems. Instead of managing the power from the photovoltaic array, our system manages the loads and matches them to the instantaneous maximum power available from the photovoltaic array. This results in a far simpler system than conventional systems. An operational system prototype has been implemented, and the preliminary results indicate that our system can exceed the efficiencies of traditional photovoltaic systems at a fraction of the cost. Our system is backed up by the electric grid, which eliminates its intermittency. The simultaneous benefit of reduced cost, improved efficiency, and improved reliability lead to a 25% lower levelized cost of electricity and allows for a practical way to charge electric vehicles with photovoltaics.