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We present a DC-DC converter for photovoltaic (PV) applications that is suitable for distributed power conversion obtained by transferring part of the electronics from the inverter to the module. The proposed circuit implements a high-efficiency four-phase interleaved boost converter employing relatively low-valued inductive and capacitive components. Its compact realization is made possible thanks to the innovative design of a dedicated integrated circuit (IC) embedding the power MOS switches and performing the converter control section as well as the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm. The solution is designed for a maximum delivered power of 300 W and to work with an MPPT voltage between 9 V and 36 V, with maximum allowed panel current of 9 A. The area of the complete printed-circuit board is 4 cm\,\times\,7 cm. Experimental measurements show that the average power conversion efficiency is between 93% and 99% and that the MPPT efficiency is always greater than 99.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The transition to clean energies is a major environmental and economic issue. The transformation of solar irradiance into electrical energy appears to be one of the most promising solutions thanks to its simplicity of implementation and its worldwide availability. However, the lifespan of solar cells and their efficiency remain open research issues. Improving the performance of solar cells requires in-depth knowledge of this equipment on different levels in normal, degraded and faulty operations. This paper presents a multi-physical modeling of solar cells integrating different phenomena on three levels of abstraction: the material level, the cell level and the panel level. The proposed model highlights the key parameters of the system and their influence on its performance, thus, it is possible to simulate normal operations and degraded operations by introducing variations of the system characteristics. On the material level, the simulation results show that a variation of 1mv in the open circuit voltage causes a variation of 4.68%in the cell power. On the cell level, and after 2000 hours of use of the photovoltaic cell in presence of wear phenomenon, the observed degradation in the cell performance represents a voltage decrease of 38.98%and a 40%current decrease. These results are in agreement with the experimental measurements available in the literature, corroborating the effectiveness of the proposed model.