DC Integration of Residential Photovoltaic Systems: A Survey
Omar Abdel‐Rahim, Andrii Chub, Dmitri Vinnikov, Andrei Blinov
Abstract
PV systems are penetrating the energy generation market rapidly. PV system output strongly depends on environmental conditions. As a result, the utilization of power electronic converters is mandatory. On the other hand, most modern loads, from small to big ones, are based on dc, similar to the renewable sources generating dc. Hence, wide adoption of residential dc microgrids (RDCμGs) based on PV energy would be a trend soon, following modern developments in energy-efficient buildings. This paper targets power converters for the integration of PV systems into RDCμGs. It considers two main classes: high step-up converters for PV module-level, parallel optimizer, applications, and non-isolated buck-boost converters for the PV string, series optimizer, applications. Due to the importance of the PV topic, a significant number of topologies have been introduced in the literature. However, not all topologies attracted the interest of the industry. This review paper considers PV converters used in industry or demonstrated in academia at a high technology readiness level with comprehensive experimental justification. This allows us to focus this review on the most valuable solutions and to provide a guide for both industry and academic readers. In the end, future trends in industrial PV systems and power converters are discussed.