Design of A Novel DC Multiplier for Solar PV Energy Applications

Abstract

This paper concentrates on the design of DC multiplier for solar photovoltaic application. The main aim of this paper is to boost up the voltage from solar panel without using transformer and to track maximum power using maximum power point algorithm. The system design includes solar panel, snubber circuit, switching circuit, coupled inductor, opto isolator, voltage multiplier, microcontroller and load. Normally boost converter is used in conjunction with solar PV to boost the output voltage from panel. But the boost converter can be able to increase the input voltage to a limited value. In other, converter transformers are used. Hence core loss, magnetic loss and copper loss will occur. To overcome these losses and also to achieve isolation coupled inductor can be used. Thus proposed system overcomes the core loss, magnetic loss, copper loss and also helps to achieve the isolation between the circuits by using the coupled inductor. By using voltage multiplier, the boost converter can able to increase the input voltage beyond the rated value. Simulations are done in MATLAB/Simulink platform. It forms the voltage multiplier for renewable energy application to boost the DC voltage.