Advanced DC–DC converter topologies for solar energy harvesting applications: a review

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the advanced topologies of a DC–DC converter for applications involving the harvesting of solar energy are discussed. This work’s primary contribution is a guide for choosing the most effective topology for a DC–DC converter when developing solar energy collection systems. Several topologies of a DC–DC converter for solar energy harvesting applications are compared in terms of the range of power levels they can oversee, the complexity of the underlying hardware, the cost of implementation, the tracking efficiency and the overall efficiency of the converter. This article explains five innovative approaches for adapting boost converters to function as standard DC–DC converters to capture solar energy, consisting of (i) voltage-multiplier cell, (2) coupled inductor, (3) coupled inductor and switch capacitor, (4) cascaded topology and (5) voltage-lift technique. Because of the boost converter’s restrictions, it is necessary to deliver high performance. The comparison findings demonstrate that the voltage-lift-based boost-converter topology performs more effectively than the alternatives. In conclusion, the information presented in this paper can be utilized when developing solar energy collection systems to determine the sort of direct current to direct current converter that will be most effective.