Centralized Control in Photovoltaic Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking Systems

Photovoltaic energy harvest in distributed maximum power point tracking systems has demonstrated to be superior to the traditional photovoltaic systems under mismatch conditions. The distributed architecture usually consists of series-connected DC/DC converters forming a string, dedicated to process the power of individual photovoltaic panels. However, the classical approach assumes an independent control of the DC/DC converters preventing them from knowing the operating condition of the other converters in the string. The adoption of centralized algorithms allows full control of the variables in distributed maximum power point tracking systems and hence further increases the energy harvest. This paper proposes a novel centralized control that matches distributed and central maximum power point tracking functions, as well as an innovative functionality that improves the dynamic performance in photovoltaic applications.