US20220077818A1 - Photovoltaic module - Google Patents
Photovoltaic module Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20220077818A1 US20220077818A1 US17/531,440 US202117531440A US2022077818A1 US 20220077818 A1 US20220077818 A1 US 20220077818A1 US 202117531440 A US202117531440 A US 202117531440A US 2022077818 A1 US2022077818 A1 US 2022077818A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- switching
- voltage
- switching elements
- inverter
- photovoltaic module
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 203
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 claims description 93
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 71
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 19
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 15
- 239000000565 sealant Substances 0.000 description 13
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000010408 film Substances 0.000 description 8
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 7
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 7
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000010363 phase shift Effects 0.000 description 6
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 230000002441 reversible effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003111 delayed effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000003792 electrolyte Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002620 polyvinyl fluoride Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000005341 toughened glass Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910004613 CdTe Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000007792 addition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000005038 ethylene vinyl acetate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron Substances [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000003475 lamination Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010248 power generation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004078 waterproofing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J3/00—Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
- H02J3/38—Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
- H02J3/381—Dispersed generators
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J3/00—Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
- H02J3/38—Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
- H02J3/388—Islanding, i.e. disconnection of local power supply from the network
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
- H02M1/00—Details of apparatus for conversion
- H02M1/14—Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
- H02M3/00—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
- H02M3/22—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac
- H02M3/24—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters
- H02M3/28—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac
- H02M3/325—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac using devices of a triode or a transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
- H02M3/335—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac using devices of a triode or a transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only
- H02M3/33569—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac using devices of a triode or a transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only having several active switching elements
- H02M3/33576—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac using devices of a triode or a transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only having several active switching elements having at least one active switching element at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
- H02M3/33592—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output with intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac using devices of a triode or a transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only having several active switching elements having at least one active switching element at the secondary side of an isolation transformer having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
- H02M7/00—Conversion of ac power input into dc power output; Conversion of dc power input into ac power output
- H02M7/42—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal
- H02M7/44—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal by static converters
- H02M7/48—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
- H02M7/53—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
- H02M7/537—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters
- H02M7/5387—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters in a bridge configuration
- H02M7/53871—Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters in a bridge configuration with automatic control of output voltage or current
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
- H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
- H02S40/30—Electrical components
- H02S40/32—Electrical components comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
- H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
- H02S40/30—Electrical components
- H02S40/34—Electrical components comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
- H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
- H02S40/30—Electrical components
- H02S40/38—Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J2300/00—Systems for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by decentralized, dispersed, or local generation
- H02J2300/20—The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
- H02J2300/22—The renewable source being solar energy
- H02J2300/24—The renewable source being solar energy of photovoltaic origin
- H02J2300/26—The renewable source being solar energy of photovoltaic origin involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
- H02M1/00—Details of apparatus for conversion
- H02M1/0048—Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses
- H02M1/0054—Transistor switching losses
- H02M1/0058—Transistor switching losses by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
- H02M1/00—Details of apparatus for conversion
- H02M1/44—Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B70/00—Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
- Y02B70/10—Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E10/56—Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E70/00—Other energy conversion or management systems reducing GHG emissions
- Y02E70/30—Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a photovoltaic module, and more specifically, to a photovoltaic module having a power conversion device which can be reduced in size.
- a photovoltaic module refers to solar cells connected in series or parallel for photovoltaic power generation.
- a power conversion device of a photovoltaic module may perform maximum power point tracking control, convert DC power from solar cells into AC power, and output AC power. Research into such a power conversion device is conducted in various manners.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a photovoltaic module having a power conversion device which can be reduced in size.
- Another object of the preset invention is to provide a photovoltaic module capable of performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a photovoltaic module capable of reducing the size of a converter.
- a photovoltaic module including a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter; an inverter including a plurality of switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power; and a controller to control the inverter, in which the converter controls some of the plurality of switching elements included in the inverter to perform switching at a third switching frequency and controls others to perform switching at a forth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency.
- the photovoltaic module further comprises a filter for filtering the AC power output from the inverter.
- the filter includes an inductor connected to one of output terminals of the inverter, and a capacitor connected between the inductor and the other output terminal of the inverter.
- the some of the plurality of switching elements and the other switching elements are switching elements of different types.
- the some of the plurality of switching elements include metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs), and the other switching elements include GaN transistors or SiC transistors.
- MOSFETs metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors
- the controller performs asynchronous PWM control on the inverter.
- the controller includes a current controller for outputting a DC-terminal voltage command based on an output current flowing through the inverter; a voltage command compensator for compensating for a voltage command based on the DC-terminal voltage command and a voltage across both terminals of the DC-terminal capacitor; a low-speed switching driving signal generator for outputting a low-speed switching driving signal at the third switching frequency based on an output value from the voltage command compensator; and a high-speed switching driving signal generator for outputting a high-speed switching driving signal at the fourth switching frequency based on the output value from the voltage command compensator.
- the converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power; a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit; and a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer; and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit.
- the full-bridge switching unit includes first and second switching elements connected parallel; and third and fourth switching elements respectively connected in series to the first and second switching elements, in which the input side of the transformer is connected between a first node between the first and second switching elements and a second node between the third and fourth switching elements.
- the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and controls the full-bridge switching unit to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- the controller controls a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit to increase as a difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- the controller controls turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- the inverter includes fifth and eighth switching elements connected in series; and sixth and seventh switching elements connected in series, in which the AC power is output through a fifth node between the fifth and eighth switching elements and a sixth node between the sixth and seventh switching elements.
- the controller controls the fifth and eighth switching elements to operate at the fourth switching frequency and controls the sixth and seventh switching elements to operate at the third switching frequency.
- the controller controls the fifth and eighth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the sixth switching element is turned on and controls the eighth and fifth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the seventh switching element is turned on.
- the synchronous rectification unit includes ninth and tenth switching elements connected in series; and first and second capacitors connected in series, in which the output side of the transformer is connected between a third node between the ninth and tenth switching elements and a fourth node between the first and second capacitors.
- the DC-terminal capacitor includes a film capacitor.
- a photovoltaic module that includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter; an inverter including first to fourth switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power; and a controller to control the inverter, in which the converter performs asynchronous PWM control on the inverter.
- the controller controls the first and fourth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the second switching is turned on and controls the fourth and first switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the third switching element is turned on.
- a photovoltaic module that includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter; and a controller for controlling the converter, in which the converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power; a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit; a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer; and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and the controller varies a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit based on an input voltage of the converter or a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor.
- the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit such that the full-bridge switching unit operates in a buck mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and controls the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit such that the synchronous rectification unit operates in a boost mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to operate at a maximum switching frequency and varies a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit in the buck mode.
- the controller controls a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit to increase as a difference between the voltage of the DC- terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to operate at a minimum switching frequency and varies turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit in the boost mode.
- the controller controls the turn-on duty of the switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- the controller includes a ripple compensator for compensating for ripples in of the DC-terminal capacitor based on the detected DC-terminal voltage and the target voltage; and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller for controlling a pulse width with respect to switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit based on the compensated ripples.
- PWM pulse width modulation
- the controller controls ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor to decrease.
- the full-bridge switching unit includes first and second switching elements connected in parallel; and third and fourth switching elements respectively connected in series to the first and second switching elements, in which the input side of the transformer is connected between a first node between the first and second switching elements and a second node between the third and fourth switching elements.
- the controller controls turn-on timing of the fourth and third switching elements to be delayed from turn-on timing of the first and second switching elements in the buck mode.
- the controller controls the delay to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- the controller controls the first and fourth switching elements and the second and third switching elements to be alternately turned on in the boost mode.
- the photovoltaic module further includes an inverter for converting DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power, in which the inverter includes fifth and sixth switching elements connected in series; and seventh and eighth switching elements connected in series, in which the AC power is output through a fifth node between the fifth and sixth switching elements and a sixth node between the seventh and eighth switching elements.
- the synchronous rectification unit includes ninth and tenth switching elements connected in series; and first and second capacitors connected in series, in which the output side of the transformer is connected between a third node between the ninth and tenth switching elements and a fourth node between the first and second capacitors.
- the controller controls turn-on duty of the ninth and tenth switching elements to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit is higher than a system frequency.
- a photovoltaic module including a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter; and a controller for controlling the converter, in which the converter comprises a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power; a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit; a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer; and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and in which the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit or the synchronous rectification unit to operate in a buck mode or a boost mode depending on a voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor.
- FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the junction box in the photovoltaic module of FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIGS. 3A to 3B are a circuit diagram of a power conversion device included in a photovoltaic module related to the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a power conversion device in the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams referred to illustrating the power conversion device of FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 9 to 14B are diagrams referred to illustrating the power conversion device of FIG. 4 according to embodiments of the present invention.
- FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a solar cell module of FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the present invention proposes a method for reducing ripples in current input to a converter in a photovoltaic module.
- FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- a photovoltaic system 10 a may include a photovoltaic module 50 and a gateway 80 .
- the photovoltaic module 50 may integrally include a solar cell module 100 and a junction box 200 including a power conversion device ( 500 in FIG. 4 ) which converts DC power in the solar cell module and outputs the converted power.
- a power conversion device 500 in FIG. 4
- junction box 200 is attached to the rear side of the solar cell module 100 in the figure, the present invention is not limited thereto.
- the junction box 200 can be separate from the solar cell module 100 .
- a cable oln for supplying AC power output from the junction box 200 to a grid 90 may be electrically connected to an output terminal of the junction box 200 .
- the gateway 80 can be positioned between one or more power conversion devices and the grid 90 .
- the gateway 80 can detect an alternating current (AC) io and an AC voltage vo output from the photovoltaic module 50 through the cable oln.
- the gateway 80 may output a power factor adjustment signal for power factor adjustment based on a phase difference between the AC io and the AC voltage vo output from the photovoltaic module 50 .
- the gateway 80 and the photovoltaic module 50 can perform power line communication (PLC) using a cable 323 (e.g., see FIG. 2 ).
- PLC power line communication
- the power conversion device ( 500 in FIG. 4 ) included in the photovoltaic module 50 may convert DC power output from the solar cell module 100 into AC power and output the AC power.
- the power conversion device ( 500 in FIG. 4 ) in the photovoltaic module 50 may include a converter ( 530 in FIG. 6 ) and an inverter ( 540 in FIG. 4 ).
- the power converter ( 500 in FIG. 4 ) can be referred to as a micro-inverter. Accordingly, the micro-inverter can include a converter ( 530 in FIG. 4 ) and an inverter ( 540 in FIG. 4 ).
- a 2-stage power conversion device which converts the level of DC power output from the solar cell module 100 through the converter 530 , is included in the power conversion device ( 500 in FIG. 4 ) or the micro-inverter, and then performs AC power conversion through the inverter 540 is described.
- the present invention proposes a method for performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency through the converter 530 .
- the photovoltaic module 50 can include the solar cell module 100 , the converter 530 , and a controller 550 .
- the photovoltaic module 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include the inverter 540 .
- the converter 530 in the power conversion device 500 can include a full-bridge switching unit 532 that switches DC power, a transformer 536 having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532 , a synchronous rectification unit 538 connected to an output side of the transformer 536 , and a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr which are connected between the transformer 536 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- the controller 550 can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of the converter 530 or the voltage of a DC-terminal capacitor C.
- the controller 550 can control phase shift of the full-bridge switching unit 532 such that the full-bridge switching unit 532 operates in a buck mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and can control duty of the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit such that the synchronous rectification unit 538 operates in a boost mode and the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- the first and second switching frequencies can be much higher than a system frequency, and thus the sizes of circuit elements in the converter 530 can be reduced.
- the turn ratio of the transformer 536 can be reduced and thus the size of the transformer 536 can be decreased. Consequently, the size of the converter 530 used in the photovoltaic module 50 can be reduced.
- Control is performed such that ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C are reduced, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolytic capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor C. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor C can be reduced.
- the full-bridge switching unit 532 can be controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- the synchronous rectification unit 538 is controlled to enter the boost mode in which turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit 538 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- the converter 530 in the power conversion device 500 can include the full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, the transformer 536 having an input side connected to the output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532 , the synchronous rectification unit 538 connected to the output side of the transformer 536 , and the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr connected between the transformer 536 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or boost mode depending on the voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor C, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- the inverter 540 in the power conversion device 500 includes a plurality of switching elements S 1 to S 4 and converts DC power from a DC-terminal capacitor C into AC power. Some of the plurality of switching elements S 1 to S 4 can perform switching at a third switching frequency and other switching elements can perform switching at a fourth switching frequency.
- controller 550 can control some of the switching elements S 1 to S 4 to perform switching at the third switching frequency and control the other switching elements to perform switching at the fourth switching frequency.
- the third switching frequency can correspond to a system frequency and the fourth switching frequency can be higher than the system frequency.
- the other switching elements among the switching elements S 1 to S 4 can include GaN transistors or SiC transistors and thus reverse recovery loss during high-speed switching can be reduced.
- a filter 570 provided at output terminals of the inverter 540 includes an inductor connected to one of the output terminals of the inductor 540 and a capacitor connected between the inductor and the other output terminal of the inverter 540 . Accordingly, a common mode voltage at the output terminals of the inverter 540 can be reduced. Furthermore, a harmonic component THD of output current can be reduced.
- the controller 550 can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of a full-bridge switching unit 532 based on the input voltage of the converter 530 or the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C.
- the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- the first and second switching frequencies can be much higher than the system frequency. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the converter 530 can be reduce.
- the turn ratio of a transformer 536 can be reduced, and thus the size of the transformer 536 can be decreased. Consequently, the size of the converter 530 used in the photovoltaic module 50 can be reduced.
- Control is performed such that ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C are reduced, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolytic capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor C. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor C can be reduced.
- the full-bridge switching unit 532 can be controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- a synchronous rectification unit 538 can be controlled to enter the boost mode in which turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit 538 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- the converter 540 in the power conversion device 500 is driven according to asynchronous PWM. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device can be reduced.
- FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- a photovoltaic system 10 b can include a plurality of photovoltaic modules 50 a, 50 b, . . . , 50 n and the gateway 80 .
- the photovoltaic system 10 b of FIG. 1B differs from the photovoltaic system 10 a of FIG. 1A in that the photovoltaic modules 50 a, 50 b, . . . , 50 n are connected in parallel.
- the photovoltaic modules 50 a, 50 b, . . . , 50 n can respectively include solar cell modules 100 a, 100 b, . . . , 100 n and junction boxes 200 a, 200 b, . . . , 200 n including circuit elements for converting DC power in the solar cell modules and outputting the converted power.
- junction boxes 200 a, 200 b, . . . , 200 n are respectively attached to the rear sides of the solar cell modules 100 a, 100 b, . . . , 100 n in the figure, the present invention is not limited thereto.
- the junction boxes 200 a, 200 b, . . . , 200 n can be separate from the solar cell modules 100 a, 100 b, . . . , 100 n.
- cables 31 a, 31 b, . . . , oln for supplying AC power output from the junction boxes 200 a, 200 b, . . . , 200 n to the grid 90 can be electrically connected to output terminals of the junction boxes 200 a, 200 b, . . . , 200 n, respectively.
- the converter 530 in the power conversion device 500 included in each of the photovoltaic modules 50 a, 50 b, 50 n can include a full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, a transformer 536 having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532 , a synchronous rectification unit 538 connected to an output side of the transformer 536 , and a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr which are connected between the transformer 536 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- the controller 550 can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of the converter 530 or the voltage of a DC-terminal capacitor C.
- some of the switching elements S 1 to S 4 can perform switching at the third switching frequency and other switching elements can perform switching at the fourth frequency higher than the third switching frequency, as described above with reference to FIG. 1A . Accordingly, the size of the power conversion device can be reduced.
- FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the junction box in the photovoltaic module of FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B .
- the junction box 200 can convert DC power from the solar cell module 100 and output the converted power.
- the junction box 200 can include the power conversion device ( 500 in FIG. 4 ) for outputting AC power.
- the junction box 200 can include the converter 530 , the inverter 540 and the controller 550 for controlling the same.
- junction box 200 can further include a bypass diode unit 510 for bypass, a capacitor unit 520 for storing DC power, and a filter 570 for filtering output AC power.
- the junction box 200 can further include a communication unit 580 for communication with the external gateway 80 .
- junction box 200 can further include an input current detector A, an input voltage detector B, a converter output current detector C, a converter output voltage detector D, an inverter output current detector E and an inverter output voltage detector F.
- the controller 550 can control the converter 530 , the inverter 540 and the communication unit 580 .
- the bypass diode unit 510 can include the bypass diodes Dc, Db and Da arranged between the first to fourth conductive lines of the solar cell module 100 .
- the number of bypass diodes is one or more, preferably, one less than the number of conductive lines.
- the bypass diodes Dc, Db and Da receive photovoltaic DC power from the solar cell module 100 , particularly, from the first to fourth conductive lines in the solar cell module 100 .
- the bypass diodes Dc, Db and Da can bypass the DC power.
- DC power which has passed through the bypass diode unit 510 can be input to the capacitor unit 520 .
- the capacitor unit 520 can store the DC power input through the solar cell module 100 and the bypass diode unit 510 .
- the capacitor unit 520 includes a plurality of capacitors Ca, Cb and Cc connected in parallel, a plurality of capacitors can be connected in series and parallel, or connected in series to a ground terminal. Alternatively, the capacitor unit 520 can include only one capacitor.
- the converter 530 can convert the level of an input voltage from the solar cell module 100 , which has passed through the bypass diode unit 510 and the capacitor unit 520 . Particularly, the converter 530 can perform power conversion using DC power stored in the capacitor unit 520 .
- the converter 530 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4 .
- Switching elements in the converter 530 can be turned on/off based on a converter switching control signal from the controller 550 . Accordingly, level-converted DC power can be output.
- the inverter 540 can convert the DC power converted by the converter 530 into AC power.
- the figure shows a full-bridge inverter. That is, upper arm switching elements S 1 and S 3 connected in series and lower arm switching elements S 2 and S 4 connected in series are paired, and the two pairs of upper and lower arm switching elements S 1 , S 2 , S 3 and S 4 are connected in parallel.
- a diode can be connected in anti-parallel with each switching element S 1 to S 4 .
- the switching elements S 1 to S 4 in the inverter 540 can be turned on/off based on an inverter switching control signal from the controller 550 . Accordingly, AC power having a predetermined frequency can be output. Desirably, AC power having the same frequency (e.g., about 60 Hz or 50 Hz) as the AC frequency of the grid is output.
- the capacitor C can be disposed between the converter 530 and the inverter 540 .
- the capacitor C can store the DC power having the level converted by the converter 530 .
- Both terminals of the capacitor C can be referred to as DC terminals and thus the capacitor C can be referred to as a DC-terminal capacitor.
- the input current detector A can detect input current ic 1 supplied from the solar cell module 100 to the capacitor unit 520 .
- the input voltage detector B can detect an input voltage Vc 1 supplied from the solar cell module 100 to the capacitor unit 520 .
- the input voltage Vc 1 can be the same as the voltage stored in the capacitor unit 520 .
- the detected input current ic 1 and input voltage vc 1 can be input to the controller 550 .
- the converter output current detector C detects output current ic 2 from the converter 530 , that is, DC-terminal current
- the converter output voltage detector D detects an output voltage vc 2 from the converter 530 , that is, a DC-terminal voltage.
- the detected output current ic 2 and output voltage vc 2 can be input to the controller 550 .
- the inverter output current detector E detects current ic 3 output from the inverter 540 and the inverter output voltage detector F detects a voltage vc 3 output from the inverter 540 .
- the detected current ic 3 and voltage vc 3 are input to the controller 550 .
- the controller 550 may output control signals for controlling the switching elements of the converter 530 . Particularly, the controller 550 may output a turn-on timing signal of the switching elements included in the converter 530 based on at least one of the detected input current ic 1 , input voltage vc 1 , output current ic 2 , output voltage vc 2 , output current ic 3 and output voltage vc 3 .
- the controller 550 can output inverter control signals for controlling the switching elements S 1 to S 4 of the inverter 540 . Particularly, the controller 550 can output a turn-on timing signal of the switching elements S 1 to S 4 of the inverter 540 based on at least one of the detected input current ic 1 , input voltage yc 1 , output current ic 2 , output voltage vc 2 , output current ic 3 or output voltage vc 3 .
- controller 550 can calculate a maximum power point with respect to the solar cell module 100 and control the converter 530 to output DC power corresponding to maximum power according thereto.
- the communication unit 580 can perform communication with the gateway 80 .
- the communication unit 580 can exchange data with the gateway 80 through power line communication.
- the communication unit 580 can transmit current information, voltage information and power information of the photovoltaic module 50 to the gateway 80 .
- the filter 570 can be disposed at the output terminals of the inverter 540 .
- the filter 570 can include a plurality of passive elements and adjust a phase difference between an AC io and an AC voltage vo output from the inverter 540 based on at least some of the plurality of passive elements.
- FIGS. 3A and 3B are circuit diagrams of power conversion devices included in a photovoltaic module related to the present invention.
- a power conversion device 500 x included in the photovoltaic module shown in FIG. 3A includes a full-bridge switching unit 532 x, a transformer 536 x and a synchronous rectification unit 538 x.
- a diode D 1 and a switching element Q 5 are connected in series
- a diode D 2 and a switching element Q 6 are connected in series
- the two pairs of the diodes and switching elements are connected in parallel.
- the turn ratio of the transformer 536 x needs to be considerably high, approximately 1:12, when high voltage step-up is required according to variation in an input voltage Vpv. That is, the transformer 536 x having a high turn ratio needs to be used. Furthermore, an additional leakage inductor is required. Accordingly, the size of the transformer 536 x increases, thus increasing the volume of the power conversion device 500 x.
- a power conversion device 500 y in the photovoltaic module shown in FIG. 3B includes a full-bridge switching unit 532 y, a transformer 536 y, a synchronous rectification unit 538 y, a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr between the full-bridge switching unit 532 y and the transformer 536 y.
- the transformer 536 y needs to have a high turn ratio although the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr are provided at the primary side of the transformer 536 y. Accordingly, the size of the transformer 536 y increases, thus increasing the volume of the power conversion device 500 y.
- the present invention proposes a method for reducing the size of the transformer while performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency. Particularly, the present invention proposes a method for reducing the sizes of circuit elements in the converter by increasing a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit. This will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and the following figures.
- FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the power conversion device in the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams referred to illustrating the power conversion device of FIG. 4 .
- the power conversion device 500 in the photovoltaic module 100 can include the bypass diode unit 510 , the capacitor unit 520 , the controller 550 , the communication unit 580 , the input current detector A, the input voltage detector B, the converter output current detector C, the converter output voltage detector D, the inverter output current detector E and the inverter output voltage detector F, which are shown in FIG. 2 , in addition to the converter 530 and the inverter 540 .
- the filter 570 for filtering AC power output from the inverter 540 can be provided at the output terminals of the inverter 540 .
- the filter 570 can include first and second inductor L 1 and L 2 connected to both output terminals of the inverter 530 , respectively, and a capacitor C 4 connected between the first inductor L 1 and the second inductor L 2 .
- the filter 570 is realized in an asymmetrical form in consideration of the inverter 540 operating according to asynchronous PWM control, and thus a common mode voltage at the output terminals of the inverter 540 can be reduced and a harmonic component THD of output current can be reduced.
- the power conversion device 500 in the photovoltaic module 50 can include the converter 530 which converts the level of DC power input from the solar cell module 100 , and the DC-terminal capacitor C which stores DC power output from the converter 530 .
- the power conversion device 500 in the photovoltaic module 100 can further include the inverter 540 , which converts the DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor C into AC power.
- the converter 530 can include the full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, the transformer 536 having the input side connected to the output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532 , the synchronous rectification unit 538 connected to the output side of the transformer 536 , the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr which are connected between the transformer 536 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- ripples in input current can be reduced according to resonance of the resonant capacitor Cr, the resonant inductor Lr and the transformer 536 .
- Switching elements Q 1 to Q 4 in the full-bridge switching unit 532 can perform zero-voltage switching ZVS and zero-current switching ZCS according to the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr.
- the full-bridge switching unit 532 can include the first and second switching elements Q 1 and Q 2 connected in series, and the third and fourth switching elements Q 3 and Q 4 respectively connected in parallel with the first and second switching elements Q 1 and Q 2 .
- the input terminals na and nb of the transformer 536 can be connected between a first node n 1 between the first and second switching elements Q 1 and Q 2 and a second node n 2 between the third and fourth switching elements Q 3 and Q 4 .
- the inverter 540 can include fifth and sixth switching elements S 1 and S 2 connected in series, and seventh and eighth switching elements S 3 and S 4 connected in series.
- AC power can be output through a fifth node n 5 between the fifth and sixth switching elements S 1 and S 2 and a sixth node n 6 between seventh and eighth switching elements S 3 and S 4 .
- the synchronous rectification unit 538 can include ninth and tenth switching elements Q 9 and Q 10 connected in series, and first and second capacitors C 1 and C 2 connected in series.
- the ninth and tenth switching elements Q 9 and Q 10 can be connected in parallel with the first and second capacitors C 1 and C 2 .
- the output side of the transformer 536 can be connected between a third node n 3 between the ninth and tenth switching elements Q 9 and Q 10 and a fourth node n 4 between the first and second capacitors C 1 and C 2 .
- the synchronous rectification unit 538 is configured in a half bridge form and thus can be referred to as a half-bridge switching unit.
- the synchronous rectification unit 538 amplifies an input voltage twice and outputs the amplified voltage and thus can be referred to as a voltage doubler.
- the controller 550 can control the converter 530 and the inverter 540 together. Particularly, the controller 550 can output a control signal Sfb to the full-bridge switching unit 532 included in the converter 530 for maximum power point tracking control.
- the controller 550 can output a control signal Shb to the synchronous rectification unit 538 in order to control the same. Further, the controller 550 can output a control signal Sic to the inverter 540 in order to control the same.
- the controller 550 can vary the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 based on the input voltage of the converter 530 or the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C. Specifically, the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or boost mode depending on the voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor C.
- the controller 550 may control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and the controller 550 can control the synchronous rectification unit 538 of half-bridge switching unit to operate in the boost mode when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage.
- the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 be higher than a system frequency.
- the first switching frequency can be approximately 135 kHz and the second switching frequency can be approximately 90 kHz. Accordingly, high-speed switching is performed and thus, the sizes of the circuit elements in the converters 530 can be reduced. Particularly, the size of the transformer 536 can be reduced.
- the controller 550 can control ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C to be reduced through the buck mode or boost mode.
- controller 550 can control some of the switching elements S 1 to S 4 in the inverter 540 to perform switching at the third switching frequency, and control other switching elements to perform switching at the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency.
- the controller 550 can perform asynchronous PWM control for the inverter 540 .
- the third switching frequency corresponds to the system frequency and the fourth switching frequency is higher than the third switching frequency, and thus the inverter 540 can perform high-speed switching. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device can be reduced, thus decreasing the size of the power conversion device.
- the controller 550 can control the fifth and sixth switching elements S 1 and S 2 to operate at the fourth switching frequency and control the seventh and eighth switching elements S 3 and S 4 to operate at the third switching frequency.
- controller 550 can control the fifth and sixth switching elements S 1 and S 2 to perform switching according to PWM control while the seventh switching element S 3 is turned on, and control the sixth and fifth switching elements S 2 and S 1 to perform switching according to PWM control while the eighth switching element S 4 is turned on.
- the switching elements S 1 and S 2 among the switching elements S 1 to S 4 in the inverter 540 can include GaN transistors or SiC transistors. Accordingly, reverse recovery loss during high-speed switching can be reduced.
- the switching elements S 3 and S 4 among the switching elements S 1 to S 4 in the inverter 540 can include metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs).
- MOSFETs metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors
- FIG. 5 is a diagram referred to illustrating a situation in which the full bridge switching unit 532 operates in the buck mode.
- FIG. 5( a ) shows a waveform Vdca of the DC-terminal voltage which is the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C.
- FIG. 5( b ) shows switching control signals SQ 1 and SQ 4 applied to the gates of the first switching element Q 1 and the fourth switching element Q 4 .
- FIG. 5( c ) shows switching control signals SQ 2 and SQ 3 applied to the gates of the second switching element Q 2 and the third switching element Q 3 .
- FIG. 5( d ) shows a voltage waveform VQ 4 and a current waveform IQ 4 applied to the fourth switching element Q 4 .
- the first and fourth switching elements Q 1 and Q 4 are not alternately turned on and the second and third switching elements Q 2 and Q 3 are not alternately turned on in the full-bridge switching unit 532 and turn-on periods thereof can partially overlap according to phase shift as shown.
- a phase difference between the first switching element Q 1 and the fourth switching element Q 4 is not fixed to 180 degrees and phases or turn-on timing can be varied according to phase shift.
- the figure shows that the phase difference between the first switching element Q 1 and the fourth element Q 4 is DLa.
- the controller 550 may control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate at a maximum switching frequency and vary the phase difference DLa between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 in the buck mode.
- the controller 550 can control the phase difference DLa between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases.
- the controller 550 can control the phase difference DLa between the first switching element Q 1 and the fourth switching element Q 4 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases.
- the controller 550 can control turn-on timing of the fourth and third switching elements Q 4 and Q 3 in the full-bridge switching unit 532 to be delayed from turn-on timing of the first and second switching elements Q 1 and Q 2 in the buck mode. Accordingly, the DC-terminal voltage Vda can be varied.
- the converter 530 operates in a discontinue mode (DCM) and a secondary switch may perform zero-current switching (ZCS).
- DCM discontinue mode
- ZCS zero-current switching
- the switching elements Q 9 and Q 10 in the synchronous rectification unit 538 can be switched in synchronization with the first and second switching elements Q 1 and Q 2 in the full-bridge switching unit 532 .
- the controller 550 can control turn-on timing delay to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage can be reduced, and thus the DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca having little ripples, as shown in FIG. 5( a ) , can be output.
- zero-voltage turn-on switching 705 a and 705 b and zero-voltage turn-off switching 705 a and 705 b of the switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 are performed. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram referred to illustrating a situation in which the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 operates in the boost mode.
- FIG. 6( a ) shows a waveform Vdcb of the DC-terminal voltage which is the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C.
- FIG. 6( b ) shows the switching control signals SQ 1 and SQ 4 applied to the gates of the first switching element Q 1 and the fourth switching element Q 4 .
- FIG. 6( c ) shows the switching control signals SQ 2 and SQ 3 applied to the gates of the second switching element Q 2 and the third switching element Q 3 .
- FIG. 6( d ) shows switching control signals SQ 9 and SQ 10 applied to the gates of the ninth switching element Q 9 and the tenth switching element Q 10 in the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- FIG. 6( e ) shows the voltage waveform VQ 4 and the current waveform IQ 4 applied to the fourth switching element Q 4 .
- the controller 550 can control the first and fourth switching elements Q 1 and Q 4 and the second and third switching elements Q 2 and Q 3 in the full-bridge switching unit 532 to be alternately turned on, as shown in FIGS. 6( b ) and 6( c ) .
- the controller 550 may control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate at a minimum switching frequency and vary turn-on duty (e.g., the duty cycle) of the switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit 538 in the boost mode.
- FIG. 6( d ) shows that the turn-on duty is DLb.
- the ninth and tenth switching elements Q 9 and Q 10 in the synchronous rectification unit 538 are turned on with the duty thereof varying while the first and fourth switching elements Q 1 and Q 4 and the second and third switching elements Q 2 and Q 3 are alternately turned on.
- the controller 550 can control the turn-on duty DLb of the ninth and tenth switching elements Q 9 and Q 10 in the synchronous rectification unit 538 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage.
- controller 550 can control turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit 538 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage.
- the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage can be reduced, and thus the DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca with little ripples, as shown in FIG. 6( a ) , can be output.
- zero-voltage turn-on switching 715 a and 715 b and zero-voltage turn-off switching 715 a and 715 b of the switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 are performed. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed.
- FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the controller 550 of the power conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the controller 550 can receive the input voltage Vc 1 from the input voltage detector B and the DC-terminal voltage Vdc from the DC-terminal voltage detector D and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or the boost mode.
- the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or control the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode depending on the voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor C.
- the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and can control the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage.
- the controller 550 can include a ripple compensator 910 for compensating for ripples of the DC-terminal capacitor C based on the detected DC-terminal voltage and the target voltage, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller 920 for controlling a pulse width with respect to the switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 .
- PWM pulse width modulation
- the ripple compensator 910 can determine that ripples increase as the difference between the detected DC-terminal voltage and the target voltage increases and compensate for ripples such that the ripples decrease.
- the PWM controller 920 can set a phase shift value of the full-bridge switching unit 532 in the buck mode or turn-on duty (e.g., duty cycle) of the switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit 538 in the boost mode based on the compensated ripples.
- the controller 550 can output the control signal Sfb to the full-bridge switching unit 532 in the converter 530 and output the control signal Shb to the synchronous rectification unit 538 to control the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- controller 550 can control the full-bridge rectification unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or boost mode depending on the level of the input voltage Vc 1 or Vpv.
- the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the first switching frequency when the input voltage Vc 1 or Vpv is greater than or equal to a reference voltage, and can control the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the input voltage Vc 1 or Vpv is lower than the reference voltage.
- FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the input voltage detector B and the DC-terminal voltage detector D in the converter 530 respectively detect the input voltage Vc 1 and the DC-terminal voltage Vdc (S 1010 ).
- the controller 550 receives the input voltage Vc 1 from the input voltage detector B and the DC-terminal voltage Vdc from the DC-terminal voltage detector D, selects a switching frequency (S 1020 ), and determines whether to control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode (S 1025 ).
- the controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage (S 1030 ).
- the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit, can be the first switching frequency (e.g., approximately 135 kHz).
- the controller 550 can control the synchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode (S 1035 ).
- the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit, can be the second switching frequency (e.g., approximately 90 kHz) lower than the first switching frequency (e.g., approximately 135 kHz).
- the controller 550 calculates a phase shift of the full-bridge switching unit 532 or turn-on duty of the synchronous rectification unit 538 according to the buck mode or the boost mode (S 1040 ).
- the controller 550 can output the control signal Sfb to the full-bridge switching unit 532 in the converter 530 and output the control signal Shb to the synchronous rectification unit 538 in order to control the synchronous rectification unit 538 based on the calculated phase shift or the calculated duty (e.g., duty cycle).
- FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the controller 550 in the power conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the controller 550 can include a calculation unit 705 for calculating a difference between an output current command value iacr and an output current ic 3 flowing through the inverter 540 for low-speed switching and high-speed switching of the inverter 540 , a current controller 710 for outputting a DC-terminal voltage command based on the difference, a voltage command compensator 720 for compensating for a voltage command based on the DC-terminal voltage command and the voltage across the DC-terminal capacitor C, a low-speed switch driving signal generator 730 for outputting a low-speed switching driving signal at the third switching frequency based on an output value from the voltage command compensator 720 , and a high-speed switch driving signal generator 740 for outputting a high-speed switching driving signal at the fourth switching frequency based on the output value from the voltage command compensator 720 .
- a calculation unit 705 for calculating a difference between an output current command value iacr and an output current ic 3 flowing through the inverter 540 for low-
- a switching control signal for operating the seventh and eighth switching elements S 3 and S 4 in the inverter 540 can be output through the low-speed switch driving signal generator 730 and a switching control signal for operating the fifth and sixth switching elements S 1 and S 2 in the inverter 540 can be output through the high-speed switch driving signal generator 740 .
- FIG. 10 is a diagram showing driving signals applied to the gates of the fifth to eighth switching elements S 1 to S 4 during one cycle of an output current Vac output from the inverter 540 .
- a driving signal SS 3 applied to the seventh switching element S 3 has a high level and thus the seventh switching element S 3 can be continuously turned on as shown in FIG. 10( d ) .
- the controller 550 can control the fifth switching element S 1 and the sixth switching element S 2 to perform switching according to PWM control while the seventh switching element S 3 is turned on.
- a driving signal applied to the sixth switching element S 2 can be a driving signal SS 2 for complementary PWM when a driving signal applied to the fifth switching element S 1 is a driving signal SS 1 for control PWM, as shown.
- the seventh switching element S 3 and the eighth switching element S 4 also complementarily operate, and thus the eighth switching element S 4 is turned off while the seventh switching element S 3 is turned on.
- a current path Ipath 1 through the fifth switching element S 1 and the eighth switching element S 4 can be generated, as shown in FIG. 11A .
- a current path Ipath 2 through the eighth switching element S 4 and the sixth switching element S 2 can be generated, as shown in FIG. 11A .
- a driving signal SS 4 applied to the eighth switching element S 4 has a high level and thus eighth switching element S 4 can be continuously turned on as shown in FIG. 10( e ) .
- the controller 550 can control the sixth switching element S 2 and the fifth switching element S 1 to perform switching according to PWM control while eighth switching element S 4 is turned on.
- the driving signal applied to the fifth switching element S 1 can be a driving signal SS 1 for complementary PWM when the driving signal applied to the sixth switching element S 2 is a driving signal SS 2 for control PWM, as shown.
- the seventh switching element S 3 and the eighth switching element S 4 also complementarily operate, and thus the seventh switching element S 3 is turned off while the eighth switching element S 4 is turned on.
- a current path Ipath 3 through the seventh switching element S 3 and the sixth switching element S 2 can be generated, as shown in FIG. 11B .
- a current path Ipath 4 through the seventh switching element S 3 and the fifth switching element S 1 can be generated, as shown in FIG. 11B .
- FIG. 12A is a diagram showing an inverter 540 m and a filter 570 m of a power conversion device 500 m compared with the present invention.
- the inverter 540 m shown in FIG. 12A is similar to that of the present application but the filter 570 m differs from that of the present application in that the filter 570 m is configured in a symmetrical form.
- the filter 570 m shown in FIG. 12A can include first and second inductors Lm 1 and Lm 2 respectively provided at both terminals of the inverter 540 m, and a capacitor Cm connected between the first and second inductors Lm 1 and Lm 2 .
- a first leg can include the fifth switching element S 1 and the sixth switching element S 2 of the plurality of switching elements S 1 to S 4 of the inverter 540
- a second leg can include the seventh and eighth switching elements S 3 and S 4 of the plurality of switching elements S 1 to S 4 of the inverter 540 .
- a switching frequency of the first leg can be different from a switching frequency of the second leg.
- some legs perform low-speed switching and other legs (the fifth and sixth switching elements S 1 and S 2 ) perform high-speed switching according to asynchronous PWM, as described above. Accordingly, an output current waveform Iaca and a common mode voltage waveform Vfda as shown in FIG. 12B can appear when a symmetrical filter such as the filter 570 m of FIG. 12A is used.
- the present invention uses the asymmetrical filter 570 corresponding to the asynchronous inverter 540 .
- FIG. 13A illustrates the inverter 540 and the filter 570 in the power conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the filter 570 can include an inductor Lf connected to one of the output terminals of the inverter 540 , and a capacitor Cf connected between the inductor Lf and the other output terminal of the inverter 540 .
- the inductor Lf is connected to only one of the output terminals of the inverter 540 , a common mode voltage caused by the inverter 540 which asynchronously operates according to high-speed switching and low-speed switching can be considerably reduced.
- FIG. 13B shows an output current waveform Iacb and a common mode voltage waveform Vfdb according to the inverter 540 and the filter 570 shown in FIG. 13A . It can be known from the figure that the common mode voltage can be considerably reduced according to the inverter 540 and the filter 570 shown in FIG. 13A .
- controller 550 controls ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor to decrease.
- FIG. 14A shows a system output current Iacn when control for decreasing ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is not performed.
- FIG. 14B shows a DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca, a system output voltage waveform Vaca, and a system output current waveform Iaca when control for decreasing ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is performed.
- the DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca has little ripples and the system output voltage waveform Vaca and the system output current waveform Iaca are hardly distorted. That is, it can be known that harmonic components THD in the system output current Iacn are removed.
- the low-speed switching and the high-speed switching of the inverter 540 are operated based on the dc voltage, so that the converter in the power conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the converter 530 described in FIGS. 4 to 8 .
- the converter 530 in the power conversion device 500 can include a full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, a transformer 536 having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532 , a synchronous rectification unit 538 connected to an output side of the transformer 536 , and a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr which are connected between the transformer 536 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 .
- the controller 550 may perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and the synchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of the converter 530 or the voltage of a DC-terminal capacitor C.
- the efficiency of the inverter 540 can be further improved by power conversion apparatus 500 combining the converter 530 described in FIGS. 4 to 8 with the inverter 540 described in FIGS. 9 to 14B .
- FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the solar cell module of FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B .
- the solar cell module 100 of FIG. 2 can include a plurality of solar cells 130 .
- the solar cell module 100 may further include a first sealant 120 and a second sealant 150 provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the solar cells 130 , a rear substrate 110 provided under the first sealant 120 , and a front substrate 160 provided on the second sealant 150 .
- the solar cell 130 is a semiconductor device which converts solar energy into electric energy and can be a silicon solar cell, a compound semiconductor solar cell, a tandem solar cell, a dye-sensitized solar cell, a CdTe solar cell, a CIGS solar cell or a thin film solar cell.
- the solar cell 130 is formed on a light-receiving surface to which sunlight is input and a rear surface opposite the light-receiving surface.
- the solar cell 130 can include a first conductivity type silicon substrate, a second conductivity type semiconductor layer which is formed on the silicon substrate and has a conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, an antireflection film which includes at least one opening for partially exposing the second conductivity type semiconductor layer and is formed on the second conductivity type semiconductor layer, a front electrode contacting a portion of the second conductivity type semiconductor layer exposed through the at least one opening, and a rear electrode formed on the rear side of the silicon substrate.
- the solar cells 130 can be electrically connected in series or parallel, or in serial-parallel. Specifically, the plurality of solar cells 130 can be electrically connected through the ribbon 133 .
- the ribbon 133 can be attached to the front electrode formed on the light-receiving surface of a solar cell 130 and a rear electrode formed on the rear side of a neighboring solar cell 130 .
- the figure shows that the ribbon 133 is formed in two lines and the solar cells 130 are connected in a row through the ribbon 133 to form a solar cell string 140 .
- each string can include ten solar cells, as described above with reference to FIG. 2 .
- the rear substrate 110 is a back sheet and serves to execute waterproofing, insulation and sunblocking functions.
- the rear substrate 110 may be a Tedlar/PET/Tedlar (TPT) type but the present invention is not limited thereto.
- TPT Tedlar/PET/Tedlar
- the rear substrate 110 is rectangular in FIG. 15 , the rear substrate 110 can be manufactured in various forms such as a circle and a semicircle according to environment in which the solar cell module 100 is installed.
- the first sealant 120 can be attached to the rear substrate 110 having the same size as the rear substrate 110 , and a plurality of solar cells 130 can be arranged in several rows on the first sealant 120 .
- the second sealant 150 is positioned on the solar cells 130 and attached to the first sealant 120 through lamination.
- first sealant 120 and the second sealant 150 are used to chemically connect elements of the solar cells.
- Various materials such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) film can be used as the first sealant 120 and the second sealant 150 .
- EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
- the front substrate 160 is positioned on the second sealant 150 such that sunlight is transmitted through the front substrate 160 . It is desirable that the front substrate 160 be tempered glass in order to protect the solar cells 130 from external impact. It is more desirable that the front substrate 160 be low-iron tempered glass in order to prevent reflection of sunlight and to improve transmissivity of sunlight.
- a photovoltaic module includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter, an inverter including a plurality of switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power, and a controller to control the inverter.
- the converter can control some of the plurality of switching elements included in the inverter to perform switching at a third switching frequency and control others to perform switching at a fourth switching frequency higher than the first switching frequency, thereby reducing the size of a power conversion device.
- switching is performed at the third switching frequency corresponding to a system frequency and the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency to obtain high-speed switching effect. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device including the inverter can be reduced.
- the other switching elements among the plurality of switching elements may include GaN transistors or SiC transistors, and thus reverse recovery loss during high-speed switching can be reduced.
- a filter provided at output terminals of the inverter includes an inductor connected to one of the output terminals of the inverter and a capacitor connected between the inductor and the other output terminal of the inverter. Accordingly, a common mode voltage at the output terminals of the inverter can be reduced. In addition, harmonic components (THD) of an output current can be reduced.
- TDD harmonic components
- the controller can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of a full-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of the converter or the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor.
- the controller can control the full-bridge switching unit to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage and control the full-bridge switching unit to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- the first and second switching frequencies can be switching frequencies that are much higher than the system frequency, and thus the sizes of circuit elements in the converter can be reduced.
- the turn ratio of a transformer can be reduced, thus decreasing the size of the transformer. Consequently, the converter used in the photovoltaic module can be reduced in size.
- ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor are controlled to decrease, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolyte capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor can be reduced.
- the full-bridge switching unit is controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- the synchronous rectification unit is controlled to enter the boost mode in which a turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- a photovoltaic module includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter, an inverter including first to fourth switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power, and a controller to control the inverter.
- the converter can perform asynchronous PWM control on the inverter to reduce the size of the power conversion device.
- switching is performed at the third switching frequency corresponding to the system frequency and the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency to obtain high-speed switching effect. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device including the inverter can be reduced.
- a photovoltaic module includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter, and a controller for controlling the converter.
- the converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power, a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit, a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer, and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and the controller varies a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit based on an input voltage of the converter or a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to enter a buck mode such that the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and controls the synchronous rectification unit to enter a boost mode such that the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed.
- the first and second switching frequencies can be switching frequencies that are much higher than a system frequency, and thus the sizes of circuit elements in the converter can be reduced.
- the turn ratio of the transformer can be reduced and thus the size of the transformer can be decreased.
- the size of the converter used for the photovoltaic module can be reduced.
- ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor are controlled to decrease, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolyte capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor can be reduced.
- the full-bridge switching unit is controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- the synchronous rectification unit is controlled to enter the boost mode in which a turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- a photovoltaic module includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter, and a controller for controlling the converter.
- the converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power, a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit, a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer, and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit or the synchronous rectification unit to operate in a buck mode or a boost mode depending on a voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- the full-bridge switching unit is controlled to operate in the buck mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit are controlled to operate at the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage
- the synchronous rectification unit is controlled to operate in the boost mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit are controlled to operate at the second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed.
- the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and all or some of the embodiments can be selectively combined such that the embodiments can be modified in various manners.
Abstract
A photovoltaic module can include a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter configured to convert a level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor configured to store DC power output from the converter; an inverter including a plurality of switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power; and a controller configured to control the inverter, in which the converter controls some switching elements among of the plurality of switching elements included in the inverter to perform switching at a third switching frequency, and controls other switching elements among the plurality of switching elements included in the inverter to perform switching at a forth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency.
Description
- This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/192,390, filed Nov. 15, 2018, which claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2017-0152514 filed in the Republic of Korea on Nov. 15, 2017, 10-2017-0160840 filed in the Republic of Korea on Nov. 28, 2017, and 10-2018-0132375 filed in the Republic of Korea on Oct. 31, 2018, the entireties of all these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates to a photovoltaic module, and more specifically, to a photovoltaic module having a power conversion device which can be reduced in size.
- A photovoltaic module refers to solar cells connected in series or parallel for photovoltaic power generation.
- A power conversion device of a photovoltaic module may perform maximum power point tracking control, convert DC power from solar cells into AC power, and output AC power. Research into such a power conversion device is conducted in various manners.
- Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a photovoltaic module having a power conversion device which can be reduced in size.
- Another object of the preset invention is to provide a photovoltaic module capable of performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a photovoltaic module capable of reducing the size of a converter.
- In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a photovoltaic module including a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter; an inverter including a plurality of switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power; and a controller to control the inverter, in which the converter controls some of the plurality of switching elements included in the inverter to perform switching at a third switching frequency and controls others to perform switching at a forth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency.
- The photovoltaic module further comprises a filter for filtering the AC power output from the inverter.
- The filter includes an inductor connected to one of output terminals of the inverter, and a capacitor connected between the inductor and the other output terminal of the inverter.
- The some of the plurality of switching elements and the other switching elements are switching elements of different types.
- The some of the plurality of switching elements include metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs), and the other switching elements include GaN transistors or SiC transistors.
- The controller performs asynchronous PWM control on the inverter.
- The controller includes a current controller for outputting a DC-terminal voltage command based on an output current flowing through the inverter; a voltage command compensator for compensating for a voltage command based on the DC-terminal voltage command and a voltage across both terminals of the DC-terminal capacitor; a low-speed switching driving signal generator for outputting a low-speed switching driving signal at the third switching frequency based on an output value from the voltage command compensator; and a high-speed switching driving signal generator for outputting a high-speed switching driving signal at the fourth switching frequency based on the output value from the voltage command compensator.
- The converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power; a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit; and a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer; and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit.
- The full-bridge switching unit includes first and second switching elements connected parallel; and third and fourth switching elements respectively connected in series to the first and second switching elements, in which the input side of the transformer is connected between a first node between the first and second switching elements and a second node between the third and fourth switching elements.
- The controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and controls the full-bridge switching unit to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- The controller controls a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit to increase as a difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- The controller controls turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- The inverter includes fifth and eighth switching elements connected in series; and sixth and seventh switching elements connected in series, in which the AC power is output through a fifth node between the fifth and eighth switching elements and a sixth node between the sixth and seventh switching elements.
- The controller controls the fifth and eighth switching elements to operate at the fourth switching frequency and controls the sixth and seventh switching elements to operate at the third switching frequency.
- The controller controls the fifth and eighth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the sixth switching element is turned on and controls the eighth and fifth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the seventh switching element is turned on.
- The synchronous rectification unit includes ninth and tenth switching elements connected in series; and first and second capacitors connected in series, in which the output side of the transformer is connected between a third node between the ninth and tenth switching elements and a fourth node between the first and second capacitors.
- The DC-terminal capacitor includes a film capacitor.
- In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photovoltaic module that includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter; an inverter including first to fourth switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power; and a controller to control the inverter, in which the converter performs asynchronous PWM control on the inverter.
- The controller controls the first and fourth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the second switching is turned on and controls the fourth and first switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the third switching element is turned on.
- In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photovoltaic module that includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter; and a controller for controlling the converter, in which the converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power; a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit; a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer; and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and the controller varies a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit based on an input voltage of the converter or a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor.
- The controller controls the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit such that the full-bridge switching unit operates in a buck mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and controls the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit such that the synchronous rectification unit operates in a boost mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- The controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to operate at a maximum switching frequency and varies a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit in the buck mode.
- The controller controls a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit to increase as a difference between the voltage of the DC- terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- The controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to operate at a minimum switching frequency and varies turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit in the boost mode.
- The controller controls the turn-on duty of the switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- The controller includes a ripple compensator for compensating for ripples in of the DC-terminal capacitor based on the detected DC-terminal voltage and the target voltage; and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller for controlling a pulse width with respect to switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit based on the compensated ripples.
- The controller controls ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor to decrease.
- The full-bridge switching unit includes first and second switching elements connected in parallel; and third and fourth switching elements respectively connected in series to the first and second switching elements, in which the input side of the transformer is connected between a first node between the first and second switching elements and a second node between the third and fourth switching elements.
- The controller controls turn-on timing of the fourth and third switching elements to be delayed from turn-on timing of the first and second switching elements in the buck mode.
- The controller controls the delay to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
- The controller controls the first and fourth switching elements and the second and third switching elements to be alternately turned on in the boost mode.
- The photovoltaic module further includes an inverter for converting DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power, in which the inverter includes fifth and sixth switching elements connected in series; and seventh and eighth switching elements connected in series, in which the AC power is output through a fifth node between the fifth and sixth switching elements and a sixth node between the seventh and eighth switching elements.
- The synchronous rectification unit includes ninth and tenth switching elements connected in series; and first and second capacitors connected in series, in which the output side of the transformer is connected between a third node between the ninth and tenth switching elements and a fourth node between the first and second capacitors.
- The controller controls turn-on duty of the ninth and tenth switching elements to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
- The switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit is higher than a system frequency.
- In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photovoltaic module including a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells; a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module; a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter; and a controller for controlling the converter, in which the converter comprises a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power; a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit; a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer; and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and in which the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit or the synchronous rectification unit to operate in a buck mode or a boost mode depending on a voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor.
- The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the junction box in the photovoltaic module ofFIG. 1A orFIG. 1B according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIGS. 3A to 3B are a circuit diagram of a power conversion device included in a photovoltaic module related to the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a power conversion device in the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams referred to illustrating the power conversion device ofFIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIGS. 9 to 14B are diagrams referred to illustrating the power conversion device ofFIG. 4 according to embodiments of the present invention; and -
FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a solar cell module ofFIG. 1A orFIG. 1B according to an embodiment of the present invention. - The present invention proposes a method for reducing ripples in current input to a converter in a photovoltaic module.
- The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
- The suffixes “module” and “unit” of elements herein are used for convenience of description and do not have any distinguishable meanings or functions. Accordingly, the suffixes “module” and “unit” can be used interchangeably.
-
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Referring to
FIG. 1A , aphotovoltaic system 10 a according to an embodiment of the present invention may include aphotovoltaic module 50 and agateway 80. - The
photovoltaic module 50 may integrally include asolar cell module 100 and ajunction box 200 including a power conversion device (500 inFIG. 4 ) which converts DC power in the solar cell module and outputs the converted power. - Although the
junction box 200 is attached to the rear side of thesolar cell module 100 in the figure, the present invention is not limited thereto. Thejunction box 200 can be separate from thesolar cell module 100. - A cable oln for supplying AC power output from the
junction box 200 to agrid 90 may be electrically connected to an output terminal of thejunction box 200. - The
gateway 80 can be positioned between one or more power conversion devices and thegrid 90. Thegateway 80 can detect an alternating current (AC) io and an AC voltage vo output from thephotovoltaic module 50 through the cable oln. Thegateway 80 may output a power factor adjustment signal for power factor adjustment based on a phase difference between the AC io and the AC voltage vo output from thephotovoltaic module 50. Thus, thegateway 80 and thephotovoltaic module 50 can perform power line communication (PLC) using a cable 323 (e.g., seeFIG. 2 ). - The power conversion device (500 in
FIG. 4 ) included in thephotovoltaic module 50 may convert DC power output from thesolar cell module 100 into AC power and output the AC power. Thus, the power conversion device (500 inFIG. 4 ) in thephotovoltaic module 50 may include a converter (530 inFIG. 6 ) and an inverter (540 inFIG. 4 ). - The power converter (500 in
FIG. 4 ) can be referred to as a micro-inverter. Accordingly, the micro-inverter can include a converter (530 inFIG. 4 ) and an inverter (540 inFIG. 4 ). - In embodiments of the present invention, a 2-stage power conversion device, which converts the level of DC power output from the
solar cell module 100 through theconverter 530, is included in the power conversion device (500 inFIG. 4 ) or the micro-inverter, and then performs AC power conversion through theinverter 540 is described. - The present invention proposes a method for performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency through the
converter 530. - Thus, the
photovoltaic module 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include thesolar cell module 100, theconverter 530, and acontroller 550. Thephotovoltaic module 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include theinverter 540. - The
converter 530 in thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a full-bridge switching unit 532 that switches DC power, atransformer 536 having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532, asynchronous rectification unit 538 connected to an output side of thetransformer 536, and a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr which are connected between thetransformer 536 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538. Thecontroller 550 can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of theconverter 530 or the voltage of a DC-terminal capacitor C. - Particularly, the
controller 550 can control phase shift of the full-bridge switching unit 532 such that the full-bridge switching unit 532 operates in a buck mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and can control duty of thesynchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit such that thesynchronous rectification unit 538 operates in a boost mode and the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency. - Here, the first and second switching frequencies can be much higher than a system frequency, and thus the sizes of circuit elements in the
converter 530 can be reduced. - Particularly, the turn ratio of the
transformer 536 can be reduced and thus the size of thetransformer 536 can be decreased. Consequently, the size of theconverter 530 used in thephotovoltaic module 50 can be reduced. - Control is performed such that ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C are reduced, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolytic capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor C. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor C can be reduced.
- When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage, the full-
bridge switching unit 532 can be controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage. - When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, the
synchronous rectification unit 538 is controlled to enter the boost mode in which turn-on duty of switching elements in thesynchronous rectification unit 538 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage. - In addition, the
converter 530 in thepower conversion device 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention can include the full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, thetransformer 536 having an input side connected to the output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532, thesynchronous rectification unit 538 connected to the output side of thetransformer 536, and the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr connected between thetransformer 536 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538. Thecontroller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or boost mode depending on the voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor C, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency. - The
inverter 540 in thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of switching elements S1 to S4 and converts DC power from a DC-terminal capacitor C into AC power. Some of the plurality of switching elements S1 to S4 can perform switching at a third switching frequency and other switching elements can perform switching at a fourth switching frequency. - That is, the
controller 550 can control some of the switching elements S1 to S4 to perform switching at the third switching frequency and control the other switching elements to perform switching at the fourth switching frequency. - Here, the third switching frequency can correspond to a system frequency and the fourth switching frequency can be higher than the system frequency.
- Accordingly, high-speed switching is performed with respect to some switching elements in the
inverter 540 and thus, not only the size of theinverter 540 but also the sizes of other circuit elements in the power conversion device can be reduced according to a high switching frequency. - The other switching elements among the switching elements S1 to S4 can include GaN transistors or SiC transistors and thus reverse recovery loss during high-speed switching can be reduced.
- Further, a
filter 570 provided at output terminals of theinverter 540 includes an inductor connected to one of the output terminals of theinductor 540 and a capacitor connected between the inductor and the other output terminal of theinverter 540. Accordingly, a common mode voltage at the output terminals of theinverter 540 can be reduced. Furthermore, a harmonic component THD of output current can be reduced. - The
controller 550 can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of a full-bridge switching unit 532 based on the input voltage of theconverter 530 or the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C. - Particularly, the
controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and thecontroller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency. - Here, the first and second switching frequencies can be much higher than the system frequency. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the
converter 530 can be reduce. - Particularly, the turn ratio of a
transformer 536 can be reduced, and thus the size of thetransformer 536 can be decreased. Consequently, the size of theconverter 530 used in thephotovoltaic module 50 can be reduced. - Control is performed such that ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C are reduced, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolytic capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor C. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor C can be reduced.
- When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage, the full-
bridge switching unit 532 can be controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage. - When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, a
synchronous rectification unit 538 can be controlled to enter the boost mode in which turn-on duty of switching elements in thesynchronous rectification unit 538 increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage. - In addition, the
converter 540 in thepower conversion device 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention is driven according to asynchronous PWM. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device can be reduced. -
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another example of a photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Referring to
FIG. 1B , aphotovoltaic system 10 b according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a plurality ofphotovoltaic modules gateway 80. - The
photovoltaic system 10 b ofFIG. 1B differs from thephotovoltaic system 10 a ofFIG. 1A in that thephotovoltaic modules - The
photovoltaic modules junction boxes - Although the
junction boxes junction boxes - Further,
cables junction boxes grid 90 can be electrically connected to output terminals of thejunction boxes - As described above with reference to
FIG. 1A , theconverter 530 in thepower conversion device 500 included in each of thephotovoltaic modules bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, atransformer 536 having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532, asynchronous rectification unit 538 connected to an output side of thetransformer 536, and a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr which are connected between thetransformer 536 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538. Thecontroller 550 can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of theconverter 530 or the voltage of a DC-terminal capacitor C. - In the
inverter 540 included in thepower conversion device 500 included in each of thephotovoltaic modules FIG. 1B , some of the switching elements S1 to S4 can perform switching at the third switching frequency and other switching elements can perform switching at the fourth frequency higher than the third switching frequency, as described above with reference toFIG. 1A . Accordingly, the size of the power conversion device can be reduced. - Particularly, since switching is performed at the third switching frequency corresponding to the system frequency and the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency, a high-speed switching effect is obtained and thus, not only the size of the
inverter 540 but also the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device including theinverter 540 can be reduced. -
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the junction box in the photovoltaic module ofFIG. 1A orFIG. 1B . - Referring to the figure, the
junction box 200 can convert DC power from thesolar cell module 100 and output the converted power. - Particularly, the
junction box 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include the power conversion device (500 inFIG. 4 ) for outputting AC power. - Thus, the
junction box 200 can include theconverter 530, theinverter 540 and thecontroller 550 for controlling the same. - In addition, the
junction box 200 can further include abypass diode unit 510 for bypass, acapacitor unit 520 for storing DC power, and afilter 570 for filtering output AC power. - The
junction box 200 can further include acommunication unit 580 for communication with theexternal gateway 80. - In addition, the
junction box 200 can further include an input current detector A, an input voltage detector B, a converter output current detector C, a converter output voltage detector D, an inverter output current detector E and an inverter output voltage detector F. - The
controller 550 can control theconverter 530, theinverter 540 and thecommunication unit 580. - The
bypass diode unit 510 can include the bypass diodes Dc, Db and Da arranged between the first to fourth conductive lines of thesolar cell module 100. Here, the number of bypass diodes is one or more, preferably, one less than the number of conductive lines. - The bypass diodes Dc, Db and Da receive photovoltaic DC power from the
solar cell module 100, particularly, from the first to fourth conductive lines in thesolar cell module 100. When a reverse voltage is generated in DC power from at least one of the first to fourth conductive lines, the bypass diodes Dc, Db and Da can bypass the DC power. - DC power which has passed through the
bypass diode unit 510 can be input to thecapacitor unit 520. - The
capacitor unit 520 can store the DC power input through thesolar cell module 100 and thebypass diode unit 510. - Although the figure shows that the
capacitor unit 520 includes a plurality of capacitors Ca, Cb and Cc connected in parallel, a plurality of capacitors can be connected in series and parallel, or connected in series to a ground terminal. Alternatively, thecapacitor unit 520 can include only one capacitor. - The
converter 530 can convert the level of an input voltage from thesolar cell module 100, which has passed through thebypass diode unit 510 and thecapacitor unit 520. Particularly, theconverter 530 can perform power conversion using DC power stored in thecapacitor unit 520. - The
converter 530 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference toFIG. 4 . - Switching elements in the
converter 530 can be turned on/off based on a converter switching control signal from thecontroller 550. Accordingly, level-converted DC power can be output. - The
inverter 540 can convert the DC power converted by theconverter 530 into AC power. - The figure shows a full-bridge inverter. That is, upper arm switching elements S1 and S3 connected in series and lower arm switching elements S2 and S4 connected in series are paired, and the two pairs of upper and lower arm switching elements S1, S2, S3 and S4 are connected in parallel. A diode can be connected in anti-parallel with each switching element S1 to S4.
- The switching elements S1 to S4 in the
inverter 540 can be turned on/off based on an inverter switching control signal from thecontroller 550. Accordingly, AC power having a predetermined frequency can be output. Desirably, AC power having the same frequency (e.g., about 60 Hz or 50 Hz) as the AC frequency of the grid is output. - The capacitor C can be disposed between the
converter 530 and theinverter 540. The capacitor C can store the DC power having the level converted by theconverter 530. Both terminals of the capacitor C can be referred to as DC terminals and thus the capacitor C can be referred to as a DC-terminal capacitor. - The input current detector A can detect input current ic1 supplied from the
solar cell module 100 to thecapacitor unit 520. - The input voltage detector B can detect an input voltage Vc1 supplied from the
solar cell module 100 to thecapacitor unit 520. Here, the input voltage Vc1 can be the same as the voltage stored in thecapacitor unit 520. - The detected input current ic1 and input voltage vc1 can be input to the
controller 550. - The converter output current detector C detects output current ic2 from the
converter 530, that is, DC-terminal current, and the converter output voltage detector D detects an output voltage vc2 from theconverter 530, that is, a DC-terminal voltage. The detected output current ic2 and output voltage vc2 can be input to thecontroller 550. - The inverter output current detector E detects current ic3 output from the
inverter 540 and the inverter output voltage detector F detects a voltage vc3 output from theinverter 540. The detected current ic3 and voltage vc3 are input to thecontroller 550. - The
controller 550 may output control signals for controlling the switching elements of theconverter 530. Particularly, thecontroller 550 may output a turn-on timing signal of the switching elements included in theconverter 530 based on at least one of the detected input current ic1, input voltage vc1, output current ic2, output voltage vc2, output current ic3 and output voltage vc3. - Further, the
controller 550 can output inverter control signals for controlling the switching elements S1 to S4 of theinverter 540. Particularly, thecontroller 550 can output a turn-on timing signal of the switching elements S1 to S4 of theinverter 540 based on at least one of the detected input current ic1, input voltage yc1, output current ic2, output voltage vc2, output current ic3 or output voltage vc3. - Further, the
controller 550 can calculate a maximum power point with respect to thesolar cell module 100 and control theconverter 530 to output DC power corresponding to maximum power according thereto. - The
communication unit 580 can perform communication with thegateway 80. For example, thecommunication unit 580 can exchange data with thegateway 80 through power line communication. - The
communication unit 580 can transmit current information, voltage information and power information of thephotovoltaic module 50 to thegateway 80. - The
filter 570 can be disposed at the output terminals of theinverter 540. In addition, thefilter 570 can include a plurality of passive elements and adjust a phase difference between an AC io and an AC voltage vo output from theinverter 540 based on at least some of the plurality of passive elements. -
FIGS. 3A and 3B are circuit diagrams of power conversion devices included in a photovoltaic module related to the present invention. - A
power conversion device 500 x included in the photovoltaic module shown inFIG. 3A includes a full-bridge switching unit 532 x, atransformer 536 x and asynchronous rectification unit 538 x. - In the
synchronous rectification unit 538 x included in thepower conversion device 500 x of the photovoltaic module, a diode D1 and a switching element Q5 are connected in series, a diode D2 and a switching element Q6 are connected in series, and the two pairs of the diodes and switching elements are connected in parallel. - According to the
power conversion device 500 x included in the photovoltaic module ofFIG. 3A , the turn ratio of thetransformer 536 x needs to be considerably high, approximately 1:12, when high voltage step-up is required according to variation in an input voltage Vpv. That is, thetransformer 536 x having a high turn ratio needs to be used. Furthermore, an additional leakage inductor is required. Accordingly, the size of thetransformer 536 x increases, thus increasing the volume of thepower conversion device 500 x. - A
power conversion device 500 y in the photovoltaic module shown inFIG. 3B includes a full-bridge switching unit 532 y, atransformer 536 y, asynchronous rectification unit 538 y, a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr between the full-bridge switching unit 532 y and thetransformer 536 y. - According to the
power conversion device 500 y included in the photovoltaic module ofFIG. 3B , thetransformer 536 y needs to have a high turn ratio although the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr are provided at the primary side of thetransformer 536 y. Accordingly, the size of thetransformer 536 y increases, thus increasing the volume of thepower conversion device 500 y. - The present invention proposes a method for reducing the size of the transformer while performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency. Particularly, the present invention proposes a method for reducing the sizes of circuit elements in the converter by increasing a switching frequency of the full-
bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit. This will be described with reference toFIG. 4 and the following figures. -
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the power conversion device in the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention andFIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams referred to illustrating the power conversion device ofFIG. 4 . - Referring to the figures, the
power conversion device 500 in thephotovoltaic module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include thebypass diode unit 510, thecapacitor unit 520, thecontroller 550, thecommunication unit 580, the input current detector A, the input voltage detector B, the converter output current detector C, the converter output voltage detector D, the inverter output current detector E and the inverter output voltage detector F, which are shown inFIG. 2 , in addition to theconverter 530 and theinverter 540. - In addition, to reduce electromagnetic noise, the
filter 570 for filtering AC power output from theinverter 540 can be provided at the output terminals of theinverter 540. - The
filter 570 can include first and second inductor L1 and L2 connected to both output terminals of theinverter 530, respectively, and a capacitor C4 connected between the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2. - Accordingly, the
filter 570 is realized in an asymmetrical form in consideration of theinverter 540 operating according to asynchronous PWM control, and thus a common mode voltage at the output terminals of theinverter 540 can be reduced and a harmonic component THD of output current can be reduced. - The following description focuses on the
converter 530 shown inFIG. 4 . - The
power conversion device 500 in thephotovoltaic module 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include theconverter 530 which converts the level of DC power input from thesolar cell module 100, and the DC-terminal capacitor C which stores DC power output from theconverter 530. - The
power conversion device 500 in thephotovoltaic module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can further include theinverter 540, which converts the DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor C into AC power. - The
converter 530 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include the full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, thetransformer 536 having the input side connected to the output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532, thesynchronous rectification unit 538 connected to the output side of thetransformer 536, the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr which are connected between thetransformer 536 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538. - Particularly, ripples in input current can be reduced according to resonance of the resonant capacitor Cr, the resonant inductor Lr and the
transformer 536. - Switching elements Q1 to Q4 in the full-
bridge switching unit 532 can perform zero-voltage switching ZVS and zero-current switching ZCS according to the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr. - As shown, the full-
bridge switching unit 532 can include the first and second switching elements Q1 and Q2 connected in series, and the third and fourth switching elements Q3 and Q4 respectively connected in parallel with the first and second switching elements Q1 and Q2. - In addition, the input terminals na and nb of the
transformer 536 can be connected between a first node n1 between the first and second switching elements Q1 and Q2 and a second node n2 between the third and fourth switching elements Q3 and Q4. - The
inverter 540 can include fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 connected in series, and seventh and eighth switching elements S3 and S4 connected in series. - AC power can be output through a fifth node n5 between the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 and a sixth node n6 between seventh and eighth switching elements S3 and S4.
- As shown, the
synchronous rectification unit 538 can include ninth and tenth switching elements Q9 and Q10 connected in series, and first and second capacitors C1 and C2 connected in series. - Here, the ninth and tenth switching elements Q9 and Q10 can be connected in parallel with the first and second capacitors C1 and C2.
- The output side of the
transformer 536 can be connected between a third node n3 between the ninth and tenth switching elements Q9 and Q10 and a fourth node n4 between the first and second capacitors C1 and C2. - In addition, the
synchronous rectification unit 538 is configured in a half bridge form and thus can be referred to as a half-bridge switching unit. - The
synchronous rectification unit 538 amplifies an input voltage twice and outputs the amplified voltage and thus can be referred to as a voltage doubler. - The
controller 550 can control theconverter 530 and theinverter 540 together. Particularly, thecontroller 550 can output a control signal Sfb to the full-bridge switching unit 532 included in theconverter 530 for maximum power point tracking control. - The
controller 550 can output a control signal Shb to thesynchronous rectification unit 538 in order to control the same. Further, thecontroller 550 can output a control signal Sic to theinverter 540 in order to control the same. - The
controller 550 can vary the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 based on the input voltage of theconverter 530 or the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C. Specifically, thecontroller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or boost mode depending on the voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor C. - The
controller 550 may control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and thecontroller 550 can control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 of half-bridge switching unit to operate in the boost mode when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage. - The
controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to enter the buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency (1/Tsa=Fsa inFIG. 5 ) when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to the target voltage, and can control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 of half-bridge switching unit to operate in the boost mode, and can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at a second switching frequency (1/Tsb=Fsb inFIG. 6 ) lower than the first switching frequency (1/Tsa=Fsa inFIG. 5 ) when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage. - It is desirable that the switching frequency of the full-
bridge switching unit 532 be higher than a system frequency. - For example, the first switching frequency can be approximately 135 kHz and the second switching frequency can be approximately 90 kHz. Accordingly, high-speed switching is performed and thus, the sizes of the circuit elements in the
converters 530 can be reduced. Particularly, the size of thetransformer 536 can be reduced. - The
controller 550 can control ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C to be reduced through the buck mode or boost mode. - Further, the
controller 550 can control some of the switching elements S1 to S4 in theinverter 540 to perform switching at the third switching frequency, and control other switching elements to perform switching at the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency. - That is, the
controller 550 can perform asynchronous PWM control for theinverter 540. - Here, the third switching frequency corresponds to the system frequency and the fourth switching frequency is higher than the third switching frequency, and thus the
inverter 540 can perform high-speed switching. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device can be reduced, thus decreasing the size of the power conversion device. - The
controller 550 can control the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 to operate at the fourth switching frequency and control the seventh and eighth switching elements S3 and S4 to operate at the third switching frequency. - Further, the
controller 550 can control the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 to perform switching according to PWM control while the seventh switching element S3 is turned on, and control the sixth and fifth switching elements S2 and S1 to perform switching according to PWM control while the eighth switching element S4 is turned on. - In addition, it is desirable that some S3 and S4 of the switching elements S1 to S4 included in the
inverter 540 and others S1 and S2 of the switching elements S1 to S4 be switching elements of different types. - The switching elements S1 and S2 among the switching elements S1 to S4 in the
inverter 540, for example, switching elements performing high-speed switching, can include GaN transistors or SiC transistors. Accordingly, reverse recovery loss during high-speed switching can be reduced. - The switching elements S3 and S4 among the switching elements S1 to S4 in the
inverter 540, for example, switching elements performing low-speed switching, can include metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs). -
FIG. 5 is a diagram referred to illustrating a situation in which the fullbridge switching unit 532 operates in the buck mode. -
FIG. 5(a) shows a waveform Vdca of the DC-terminal voltage which is the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C. -
FIG. 5(b) shows switching control signals SQ1 and SQ4 applied to the gates of the first switching element Q1 and the fourth switching element Q4. -
FIG. 5(c) shows switching control signals SQ2 and SQ3 applied to the gates of the second switching element Q2 and the third switching element Q3. -
FIG. 5(d) shows a voltage waveform VQ4 and a current waveform IQ4 applied to the fourth switching element Q4. - In the buck mode, the first and fourth switching elements Q1 and Q4 are not alternately turned on and the second and third switching elements Q2 and Q3 are not alternately turned on in the full-
bridge switching unit 532 and turn-on periods thereof can partially overlap according to phase shift as shown. - That is, a phase difference between the first switching element Q1 and the fourth switching element Q4 is not fixed to 180 degrees and phases or turn-on timing can be varied according to phase shift.
- The figure shows that the phase difference between the first switching element Q1 and the fourth element Q4 is DLa.
- The
controller 550 may control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate at a maximum switching frequency and vary the phase difference DLa between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 in the buck mode. - When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, the
controller 550 can control the phase difference DLa between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases. - Particularly, the
controller 550 can control the phase difference DLa between the first switching element Q1 and the fourth switching element Q4 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases. - The
controller 550 can control turn-on timing of the fourth and third switching elements Q4 and Q3 in the full-bridge switching unit 532 to be delayed from turn-on timing of the first and second switching elements Q1 and Q2 in the buck mode. Accordingly, the DC-terminal voltage Vda can be varied. - For example, when the first and fourth switching elements Q1 and Q4 are turned on, current flows and thus the resonant capacitor Cr and the resonant inductor Lr resonate.
- Thereafter, when the fourth switching element A4 is turned off and the third switching element Q3 is turned on, the current flowing through the
transformer 536 decreases to the ground GND or zero, theconverter 530 operates in a discontinue mode (DCM) and a secondary switch may perform zero-current switching (ZCS). - The switching elements Q9 and Q10 in the
synchronous rectification unit 538 can be switched in synchronization with the first and second switching elements Q1 and Q2 in the full-bridge switching unit 532. - The
controller 550 can control turn-on timing delay to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to the target voltage. - Accordingly, the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage can be reduced, and thus the DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca having little ripples, as shown in
FIG. 5(a) , can be output. - At time Ta and time Tb, zero-voltage turn-on switching 705 a and 705 b and zero-voltage turn-off switching 705 a and 705 b of the switching elements in the full-
bridge switching unit 532 are performed. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed. -
FIG. 6 is a diagram referred to illustrating a situation in which the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 operates in the boost mode. -
FIG. 6(a) shows a waveform Vdcb of the DC-terminal voltage which is the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C. -
FIG. 6(b) shows the switching control signals SQ1 and SQ4 applied to the gates of the first switching element Q1 and the fourth switching element Q4. -
FIG. 6(c) shows the switching control signals SQ2 and SQ3 applied to the gates of the second switching element Q2 and the third switching element Q3. -
FIG. 6(d) shows switching control signals SQ9 and SQ10 applied to the gates of the ninth switching element Q9 and the tenth switching element Q10 in thesynchronous rectification unit 538. -
FIG. 6(e) shows the voltage waveform VQ4 and the current waveform IQ4 applied to the fourth switching element Q4. - In the boost mode, the
controller 550 can control the first and fourth switching elements Q1 and Q4 and the second and third switching elements Q2 and Q3 in the full-bridge switching unit 532 to be alternately turned on, as shown inFIGS. 6(b) and 6(c) . - The
controller 550 may control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate at a minimum switching frequency and vary turn-on duty (e.g., the duty cycle) of the switching elements in thesynchronous rectification unit 538 in the boost mode.FIG. 6(d) shows that the turn-on duty is DLb. - For example, the ninth and tenth switching elements Q9 and Q10 in the
synchronous rectification unit 538 are turned on with the duty thereof varying while the first and fourth switching elements Q1 and Q4 and the second and third switching elements Q2 and Q3 are alternately turned on. - When the ninth and tenth switching elements Q9 and Q10 in the
synchronous rectification unit 538 are turned on, energy is charged in the resonant inductor Lr. Accordingly, boosting is performed. - The
controller 550 can control the turn-on duty DLb of the ninth and tenth switching elements Q9 and Q10 in thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage. - Further, the
controller 550 can control turn-on duty of switching elements in thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to increase as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage increases when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage. - Accordingly, the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C and the target voltage can be reduced, and thus the DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca with little ripples, as shown in
FIG. 6(a) , can be output. - At time T1 and time T2, zero-voltage turn-on switching 715 a and 715 b and zero-voltage turn-off switching 715 a and 715 b of the switching elements in the full-
bridge switching unit 532 are performed. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed. -
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of thecontroller 550 of thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Referring to the figure, the
controller 550 can receive the input voltage Vc1 from the input voltage detector B and the DC-terminal voltage Vdc from the DC-terminal voltage detector D and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or the boost mode. - Particularly, the
controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode depending on the voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor C. - Specifically, the
controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and can control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage. - The
controller 550 can include aripple compensator 910 for compensating for ripples of the DC-terminal capacitor C based on the detected DC-terminal voltage and the target voltage, and a pulse width modulation (PWM)controller 920 for controlling a pulse width with respect to the switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit 532. - For example, the
ripple compensator 910 can determine that ripples increase as the difference between the detected DC-terminal voltage and the target voltage increases and compensate for ripples such that the ripples decrease. - The
PWM controller 920 can set a phase shift value of the full-bridge switching unit 532 in the buck mode or turn-on duty (e.g., duty cycle) of the switching elements in thesynchronous rectification unit 538 in the boost mode based on the compensated ripples. - Accordingly, the
controller 550 can output the control signal Sfb to the full-bridge switching unit 532 in theconverter 530 and output the control signal Shb to thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to control thesynchronous rectification unit 538. - Further, the
controller 550 can control the full-bridge rectification unit 532 to operate in the buck mode or boost mode depending on the level of the input voltage Vc1 or Vpv. - Specifically, the
controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the first switching frequency when the input voltage Vc1 or Vpv is greater than or equal to a reference voltage, and can control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode and control the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate at the second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the input voltage Vc1 or Vpv is lower than the reference voltage. -
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Referring to the figure, the input voltage detector B and the DC-terminal voltage detector D in the
converter 530 respectively detect the input voltage Vc1 and the DC-terminal voltage Vdc (S1010). - Then, the
controller 550 receives the input voltage Vc1 from the input voltage detector B and the DC-terminal voltage Vdc from the DC-terminal voltage detector D, selects a switching frequency (S1020), and determines whether to control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode (S1025). - For example, the
controller 550 can control the full-bridge switching unit 532 to operate in the buck mode when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is greater than or equal to a target voltage (S1030). Here, the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538, which is a half-bridge switching unit, can be the first switching frequency (e.g., approximately 135 kHz). - When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor C is lower than the target voltage, the
controller 550 can control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 to operate in the boost mode (S1035). Here, the switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538, which is a half-bridge switching unit, can be the second switching frequency (e.g., approximately 90 kHz) lower than the first switching frequency (e.g., approximately 135 kHz). - Description of operations in the buck mode and boost mode are omitted, since the operations have been described with reference to
FIGS. 4 to 7 . - Subsequently, the
controller 550 calculates a phase shift of the full-bridge switching unit 532 or turn-on duty of thesynchronous rectification unit 538 according to the buck mode or the boost mode (S1040). - Then, the
controller 550 can output the control signal Sfb to the full-bridge switching unit 532 in theconverter 530 and output the control signal Shb to thesynchronous rectification unit 538 in order to control thesynchronous rectification unit 538 based on the calculated phase shift or the calculated duty (e.g., duty cycle). - Accordingly, ripples in the DC-terminal voltage decrease, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolytic capacitor having large capacity can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor C. Therefore, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor C can be reduced.
-
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of thecontroller 550 in thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Referring to
FIG. 9 , thecontroller 550 can include acalculation unit 705 for calculating a difference between an output current command value iacr and an output current ic3 flowing through theinverter 540 for low-speed switching and high-speed switching of theinverter 540, acurrent controller 710 for outputting a DC-terminal voltage command based on the difference, avoltage command compensator 720 for compensating for a voltage command based on the DC-terminal voltage command and the voltage across the DC-terminal capacitor C, a low-speed switch drivingsignal generator 730 for outputting a low-speed switching driving signal at the third switching frequency based on an output value from thevoltage command compensator 720, and a high-speed switch drivingsignal generator 740 for outputting a high-speed switching driving signal at the fourth switching frequency based on the output value from thevoltage command compensator 720. - That is, a switching control signal for operating the seventh and eighth switching elements S3 and S4 in the
inverter 540 can be output through the low-speed switch drivingsignal generator 730 and a switching control signal for operating the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 in theinverter 540 can be output through the high-speed switch drivingsignal generator 740. -
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing driving signals applied to the gates of the fifth to eighth switching elements S1 to S4 during one cycle of an output current Vac output from theinverter 540. - During a positive half cycle of the output current Vac output from the
inverter 540, as shown inFIG. 10(a) , a driving signal SS3 applied to the seventh switching element S3 has a high level and thus the seventh switching element S3 can be continuously turned on as shown inFIG. 10(d) . - The
controller 550 can control the fifth switching element S1 and the sixth switching element S2 to perform switching according to PWM control while the seventh switching element S3 is turned on. - Here, since the fifth switching element S1 and the sixth switching element S2 complementarily operate, a driving signal applied to the sixth switching element S2 can be a driving signal SS2 for complementary PWM when a driving signal applied to the fifth switching element S1 is a driving signal SS1 for control PWM, as shown.
- The seventh switching element S3 and the eighth switching element S4 also complementarily operate, and thus the eighth switching element S4 is turned off while the seventh switching element S3 is turned on.
- When the fifth switching element S1 is turned on and the sixth switching element S2 is turned off while the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 perform PWM switching during the positive half cycle of the output current Vac, a current path Ipath1 through the fifth switching element S1 and the eighth switching element S4 can be generated, as shown in
FIG. 11A . - When the sixth switching element S2 is turned on and the fifth switching element S1 is turned off while the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 perform PWM switching during the positive half cycle of the output current Vac, a current path Ipath2 through the eighth switching element S4 and the sixth switching element S2 can be generated, as shown in
FIG. 11A . - During a negative half cycle of the output current Vac output from the
inverter 540, as shown inFIG. 10(a) , a driving signal SS4 applied to the eighth switching element S4 has a high level and thus eighth switching element S4 can be continuously turned on as shown inFIG. 10(e) . - The
controller 550 can control the sixth switching element S2 and the fifth switching element S1 to perform switching according to PWM control while eighth switching element S4 is turned on. - Here, since the fifth switching element S1 and the sixth switching element S2 complementarily operate, the driving signal applied to the fifth switching element S1 can be a driving signal SS1 for complementary PWM when the driving signal applied to the sixth switching element S2 is a driving signal SS2 for control PWM, as shown.
- The seventh switching element S3 and the eighth switching element S4 also complementarily operate, and thus the seventh switching element S3 is turned off while the eighth switching element S4 is turned on.
- When the sixth switching element S2 is turned on and the fifth switching element S1 is turned off while the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 perform PWM switching during the negative half cycle of the output current Vac, a current path Ipath3 through the seventh switching element S3 and the sixth switching element S2 can be generated, as shown in
FIG. 11B . - When the fifth switching element S1 is turned on and the sixth switching element S2 is turned off while the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2 perform PWM switching during the negative half cycle of the output current Vac, a current path Ipath4 through the seventh switching element S3 and the fifth switching element S1 can be generated, as shown in
FIG. 11B . -
FIG. 12A is a diagram showing aninverter 540 m and afilter 570 m of apower conversion device 500 m compared with the present invention. - The
inverter 540 m shown inFIG. 12A is similar to that of the present application but thefilter 570 m differs from that of the present application in that thefilter 570 m is configured in a symmetrical form. - That is, the
filter 570 m shown inFIG. 12A can include first and second inductors Lm1 and Lm2 respectively provided at both terminals of theinverter 540 m, and a capacitor Cm connected between the first and second inductors Lm1 and Lm2. - A first leg can include the fifth switching element S1 and the sixth switching element S2 of the plurality of switching elements S1 to S4 of the
inverter 540, and a second leg can include the seventh and eighth switching elements S3 and S4 of the plurality of switching elements S1 to S4 of theinverter 540. - Here, a switching frequency of the first leg can be different from a switching frequency of the second leg.
- In the
inverter 540 according to an embodiment of the present invention, some legs (the seventh and eighth switching elements S3 and S4) perform low-speed switching and other legs (the fifth and sixth switching elements S1 and S2) perform high-speed switching according to asynchronous PWM, as described above. Accordingly, an output current waveform Iaca and a common mode voltage waveform Vfda as shown inFIG. 12B can appear when a symmetrical filter such as thefilter 570 m ofFIG. 12A is used. - Particularly, it can be known from the common mode voltage waveform Vfda that a common mode voltage considerably increases.
- To solve such a problem, the present invention uses the
asymmetrical filter 570 corresponding to theasynchronous inverter 540. -
FIG. 13A illustrates theinverter 540 and thefilter 570 in thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. - The
filter 570 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include an inductor Lf connected to one of the output terminals of theinverter 540, and a capacitor Cf connected between the inductor Lf and the other output terminal of theinverter 540. - Particularly, since the inductor Lf is connected to only one of the output terminals of the
inverter 540, a common mode voltage caused by theinverter 540 which asynchronously operates according to high-speed switching and low-speed switching can be considerably reduced. -
FIG. 13B shows an output current waveform Iacb and a common mode voltage waveform Vfdb according to theinverter 540 and thefilter 570 shown inFIG. 13A . It can be known from the figure that the common mode voltage can be considerably reduced according to theinverter 540 and thefilter 570 shown inFIG. 13A . - In addition, the
controller 550 according to an embodiment of the present invention controls ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor to decrease. -
FIG. 14A shows a system output current Iacn when control for decreasing ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is not performed. - Referring to
FIG. 14A , it can be known that output current is distorted due to harmonic components THD in the system output current Iacn. -
FIG. 14B shows a DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca, a system output voltage waveform Vaca, and a system output current waveform Iaca when control for decreasing ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is performed. - Referring to
FIG. 14B , it can be known that the DC-terminal voltage waveform Vdca has little ripples and the system output voltage waveform Vaca and the system output current waveform Iaca are hardly distorted. That is, it can be known that harmonic components THD in the system output current Iacn are removed. - As described in
FIGS. 9 to 14B , the low-speed switching and the high-speed switching of theinverter 540 are operated based on the dc voltage, so that the converter in thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to theconverter 530 described inFIGS. 4 to 8 . - In addition, the
converter 530 in thepower conversion device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a full-bridge switching unit 532 which switches DC power, atransformer 536 having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit 532, asynchronous rectification unit 538 connected to an output side of thetransformer 536, and a resonant capacitor Cr and a resonant inductor Lr which are connected between thetransformer 536 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538. Thecontroller 550 may perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit 532 and thesynchronous rectification unit 538 which is a half-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of theconverter 530 or the voltage of a DC-terminal capacitor C. - Accordingly, the efficiency of the
inverter 540 can be further improved bypower conversion apparatus 500 combining theconverter 530 described inFIGS. 4 to 8 with theinverter 540 described inFIGS. 9 to 14B . -
FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the solar cell module ofFIG. 1A orFIG. 1B . - Referring to
FIG. 15 , thesolar cell module 100 ofFIG. 2 can include a plurality ofsolar cells 130. In addition, thesolar cell module 100 may further include afirst sealant 120 and asecond sealant 150 provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of thesolar cells 130, arear substrate 110 provided under thefirst sealant 120, and afront substrate 160 provided on thesecond sealant 150. - The
solar cell 130 is a semiconductor device which converts solar energy into electric energy and can be a silicon solar cell, a compound semiconductor solar cell, a tandem solar cell, a dye-sensitized solar cell, a CdTe solar cell, a CIGS solar cell or a thin film solar cell. - The
solar cell 130 is formed on a light-receiving surface to which sunlight is input and a rear surface opposite the light-receiving surface. For example, thesolar cell 130 can include a first conductivity type silicon substrate, a second conductivity type semiconductor layer which is formed on the silicon substrate and has a conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, an antireflection film which includes at least one opening for partially exposing the second conductivity type semiconductor layer and is formed on the second conductivity type semiconductor layer, a front electrode contacting a portion of the second conductivity type semiconductor layer exposed through the at least one opening, and a rear electrode formed on the rear side of the silicon substrate. - The
solar cells 130 can be electrically connected in series or parallel, or in serial-parallel. Specifically, the plurality ofsolar cells 130 can be electrically connected through theribbon 133. Theribbon 133 can be attached to the front electrode formed on the light-receiving surface of asolar cell 130 and a rear electrode formed on the rear side of a neighboringsolar cell 130. The figure shows that theribbon 133 is formed in two lines and thesolar cells 130 are connected in a row through theribbon 133 to form asolar cell string 140. - Thus, six strings 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e and 140 f are formed and each string can include ten solar cells, as described above with reference to
FIG. 2 . - The
rear substrate 110 is a back sheet and serves to execute waterproofing, insulation and sunblocking functions. Therear substrate 110 may be a Tedlar/PET/Tedlar (TPT) type but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, although therear substrate 110 is rectangular inFIG. 15 , therear substrate 110 can be manufactured in various forms such as a circle and a semicircle according to environment in which thesolar cell module 100 is installed. - The
first sealant 120 can be attached to therear substrate 110 having the same size as therear substrate 110, and a plurality ofsolar cells 130 can be arranged in several rows on thefirst sealant 120. - The
second sealant 150 is positioned on thesolar cells 130 and attached to thefirst sealant 120 through lamination. - Here, the
first sealant 120 and thesecond sealant 150 are used to chemically connect elements of the solar cells. Various materials such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) film can be used as thefirst sealant 120 and thesecond sealant 150. - The
front substrate 160 is positioned on thesecond sealant 150 such that sunlight is transmitted through thefront substrate 160. It is desirable that thefront substrate 160 be tempered glass in order to protect thesolar cells 130 from external impact. It is more desirable that thefront substrate 160 be low-iron tempered glass in order to prevent reflection of sunlight and to improve transmissivity of sunlight. - As is apparent from the above description, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a photovoltaic module includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter, an inverter including a plurality of switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power, and a controller to control the inverter. The converter can control some of the plurality of switching elements included in the inverter to perform switching at a third switching frequency and control others to perform switching at a fourth switching frequency higher than the first switching frequency, thereby reducing the size of a power conversion device.
- Particularly, switching is performed at the third switching frequency corresponding to a system frequency and the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency to obtain high-speed switching effect. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device including the inverter can be reduced.
- The other switching elements among the plurality of switching elements may include GaN transistors or SiC transistors, and thus reverse recovery loss during high-speed switching can be reduced.
- A filter provided at output terminals of the inverter includes an inductor connected to one of the output terminals of the inverter and a capacitor connected between the inductor and the other output terminal of the inverter. Accordingly, a common mode voltage at the output terminals of the inverter can be reduced. In addition, harmonic components (THD) of an output current can be reduced.
- The controller can perform power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency by varying a switching frequency of a full-bridge switching unit based on the input voltage of the converter or the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor.
- Particularly, the controller can control the full-bridge switching unit to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage and control the full-bridge switching unit to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- Here, the first and second switching frequencies can be switching frequencies that are much higher than the system frequency, and thus the sizes of circuit elements in the converter can be reduced.
- Particularly, the turn ratio of a transformer can be reduced, thus decreasing the size of the transformer. Consequently, the converter used in the photovoltaic module can be reduced in size.
- Further, ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor are controlled to decrease, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolyte capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor can be reduced.
- When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage, the full-bridge switching unit is controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, the synchronous rectification unit is controlled to enter the boost mode in which a turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- A photovoltaic module according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter to convert the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor to store DC power output from the converter, an inverter including first to fourth switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into AC power, and a controller to control the inverter. The converter can perform asynchronous PWM control on the inverter to reduce the size of the power conversion device.
- Particularly, switching is performed at the third switching frequency corresponding to the system frequency and the fourth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency to obtain high-speed switching effect. Accordingly, the sizes of circuit elements in the power conversion device including the inverter can be reduced.
- A photovoltaic module according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter, and a controller for controlling the converter. The converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power, a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit, a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer, and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and the controller varies a switching frequency of the full-bridge switching unit based on an input voltage of the converter or a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- Particularly, the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit to enter a buck mode such that the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and controls the synchronous rectification unit to enter a boost mode such that the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed.
- Here, the first and second switching frequencies can be switching frequencies that are much higher than a system frequency, and thus the sizes of circuit elements in the converter can be reduced.
- Particularly, the turn ratio of the transformer can be reduced and thus the size of the transformer can be decreased. As a result, the size of the converter used for the photovoltaic module can be reduced.
- Further, ripples in the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor are controlled to decrease, and thus a film capacitor instead of an electrolyte capacitor can be used as the DC-terminal capacitor. Accordingly, the size of the DC-terminal capacitor can be reduced.
- When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage, the full-bridge switching unit is controlled to enter the buck mode in which a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- When the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, the synchronous rectification unit is controlled to enter the boost mode in which a turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification unit increases as the difference between the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases such that the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor follows the target voltage.
- A photovoltaic module according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells, a converter for converting the level of DC power input from the solar cell module, a DC-terminal capacitor for storing DC power output from the converter, and a controller for controlling the converter. The converter includes a full-bridge switching unit for switching the DC power, a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching unit, a synchronous rectification unit connected to an output side of the transformer, and a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification unit, and the controller controls the full-bridge switching unit or the synchronous rectification unit to operate in a buck mode or a boost mode depending on a voltage level of the DC-terminal capacitor, thereby performing power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency.
- Particularly, in the photovoltaic module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the full-bridge switching unit is controlled to operate in the buck mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit are controlled to operate at the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and the synchronous rectification unit is controlled to operate in the boost mode and the full-bridge switching unit and the synchronous rectification unit are controlled to operate at the second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage. Accordingly, power conversion with high voltage step-up and high efficiency can be performed.
- The photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and all or some of the embodiments can be selectively combined such that the embodiments can be modified in various manners.
- Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
Claims (20)
1. A photovoltaic module comprising:
a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells;
a converter configured to convert a level of direct current (DC) power input from the solar cell module;
a DC-terminal capacitor configured to store DC power output from the converter;
an inverter having a plurality of switching elements including first, second, third and fourth switching elements, the inverter being configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into alternating current (AC) power; and
a controller configured to perform asynchronous pulse width modulation (PWM) control on the inverter.
2. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the first and fourth switching elements to perform switching according to the PWM control while the second switching is turned on, and
control the fourth and first switching elements to perform switching according to the PWM control while the third switching element is turned on.
3. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , wherein the inverter further includes:
a first leg including some switching elements among the plurality of switching elements in the inverter, and
a second leg including other switching elements among the plurality of switching elements in the inverter,
wherein a switching frequency of the first leg is different than a switching frequency of the second leg.
4. The photovoltaic module according to claim 3 , wherein the some switching elements in the first leg of the inverter and the other switching elements in the second leg of the inverter are of different types.
5. The photovoltaic module according to claim 3 , wherein the some switching elements in the first leg of the inverter include GaN transistors or SiC transistors, and the other switching elements in the second leg of the inverter include metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs).
6. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a filter configured to filter the AC power output from the inverter.
7. The photovoltaic module according to claim 6 , wherein the filter includes:
an inductor connected to an output terminal of the inverter; and
a capacitor connected between the inductor and another output terminal of the inverter.
8. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , wherein the converter further includes:
a transformer having an input side connected to an output terminal of the full-bridge switching part;
a synchronous rectification part connected to an output side of the transformer;
a resonant capacitor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification part; and
a resonant inductor connected between the transformer and the synchronous rectification part.
9. The photovoltaic module according to claim 8 , wherein the full-bridge switching part includes:
fifth and sixth switching elements connected in parallel; and
seventh and eighth switching elements respectively connected in series to the fifth and sixth switching elements,
wherein the input side of the transformer is connected between a first node located between the first and second switching elements and a second node located between the seventh and eighth switching elements.
10. The photovoltaic module according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the full-bridge switching part to enter a buck mode and operate at a third switching frequency when a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and
control the full-bridge switching part to enter a boost mode and operate at a fourth switching frequency lower than the third switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
11. The photovoltaic module according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
increase a phase difference between switching elements in the full-bridge switching part as a difference between a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases, when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to the target voltage.
12. The photovoltaic module according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
increase a turn-on duty of switching elements in the synchronous rectification part as a difference between a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor and the target voltage increases, when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage.
13. The photovoltaic module according to claim 8 , wherein the synchronous rectification part includes:
ninth and tenth switching elements connected in series; and
first and second capacitors connected in series,
wherein the output side of the transformer is connected between a third node located between the ninth and tenth switching elements and a fourth node located between the first and second capacitors.
14. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , wherein the inverter further includes:
the first and forth switching elements connected in series; and
the second and third switching elements connected in series,
wherein the AC power is output through a node located between the first and forth switching elements and a node located between the second and third switching elements.
15. The photovoltaic module according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the second and third switching elements to operate at a first switching frequency and control the first and forth switching elements to operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency.
16. The photovoltaic module according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the first and forth switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the second switching element is turned on, and
control the second and third switching elements to perform switching according to PWM control while the third switching element is turned on.
17. The photovoltaic module according to claim 1 , wherein the DC-terminal capacitor includes a film capacitor.
18. A photovoltaic module comprising:
a solar cell module including a plurality of solar cells;
a converter configured to convert a level of direct current (DC) power input from the solar cell module;
a DC-terminal capacitor configured to store DC power output from the converter;
an inverter including a plurality of switching elements and configured to convert DC power from the DC-terminal capacitor into alternating current (AC) power; and
a controller configured to control the inverter,
wherein the converter includes a full-bridge switching part configured to switch the DC power,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the full-bridge switching part to enter a buck mode and operate at a first switching frequency when a voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is greater than or equal to a target voltage, and
control the full-bridge switching part to enter a boost mode and operate at a second switching frequency lower than the first switching frequency when the voltage of the DC-terminal capacitor is lower than the target voltage, and
wherein the converter is further configured to:
control some switching elements among the plurality of switching elements in the inverter to perform switching at a third switching frequency, and
control other switching elements among the plurality of switching elements in the inverter to perform switching at a forth switching frequency higher than the third switching frequency.
19. The photovoltaic module according to claim 18 , wherein the controller includes:
a current controller configured to output a DC-terminal voltage command based on an output current flowing through the inverter;
a voltage command compensator configured to compensate for a voltage command based on the DC-terminal voltage command and a voltage across both terminals of the DC-terminal capacitor;
a low-speed switching driving signal generator configured to output a low-speed switching driving signal at the third switching frequency based on an output value from the voltage command compensator; and
a high-speed switching driving signal generator configured to output a high-speed switching driving signal at the forth switching frequency based on the output value from the voltage command compensator.
20. The photovoltaic module according to claim 18 , wherein the some switching elements in the converter and the other switching elements in the converter are of different types of transistors.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17/531,440 US20220077818A1 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2021-11-19 | Photovoltaic module |
Applications Claiming Priority (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR20170152514 | 2017-11-15 | ||
KR10-2017-0152514 | 2017-11-15 | ||
KR10-2017-0160840 | 2017-11-28 | ||
KR20170160840 | 2017-11-28 | ||
KR1020180132375A KR20190055734A (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2018-10-31 | Photovoltaic module |
KR10-2018-0132375 | 2018-10-31 | ||
US16/192,390 US11211897B2 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2018-11-15 | Photovoltaic module |
US17/531,440 US20220077818A1 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2021-11-19 | Photovoltaic module |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US16/192,390 Division US11211897B2 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2018-11-15 | Photovoltaic module |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20220077818A1 true US20220077818A1 (en) | 2022-03-10 |
Family
ID=66432543
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US16/192,390 Active US11211897B2 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2018-11-15 | Photovoltaic module |
US17/531,440 Abandoned US20220077818A1 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2021-11-19 | Photovoltaic module |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US16/192,390 Active US11211897B2 (en) | 2017-11-15 | 2018-11-15 | Photovoltaic module |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US11211897B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019098709A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10903748B2 (en) * | 2019-03-22 | 2021-01-26 | Infineon Technologies Austria Ag | Frequency modulation control for phase-shift full bridge converters |
CN113452271B (en) * | 2020-03-25 | 2022-09-06 | 台达电子企业管理(上海)有限公司 | Power supply control method |
CN115133567A (en) * | 2021-03-27 | 2022-09-30 | 华为数字能源技术有限公司 | Photovoltaic system and leakage current control method thereof |
US20220393641A1 (en) * | 2021-06-07 | 2022-12-08 | Ndsu Research Foundation | Solar energy power conversion system |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011102910A1 (en) * | 2010-02-22 | 2011-08-25 | Petra Solar Inc. | Method and system for controlling resonant converters used in solar inverters |
WO2014192014A2 (en) * | 2013-05-02 | 2014-12-04 | Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay | Method and system for a low cost bi-directional grid tied photovoltaic (pv) micro inverter |
US20150340868A1 (en) * | 2014-05-25 | 2015-11-26 | Sunpower Corporation | Alternative source module array characterization |
US20170085090A1 (en) * | 2014-05-16 | 2017-03-23 | Solar Ship Inc. | Four-quadrant partial power processing switched-mode converter for photovoltaic applications |
CN106849681A (en) * | 2017-04-11 | 2017-06-13 | 厦门大学 | A kind of high-gain isolated active clamping Sofe Switch DC DC converters |
US20180191273A1 (en) * | 2016-12-30 | 2018-07-05 | Sunpower Corporation | Three-level inverter switching |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR100513318B1 (en) * | 2003-06-24 | 2005-09-09 | 삼성전기주식회사 | Back-light inverter for lcd panel of asynchronous pwm driving type |
JP4220481B2 (en) * | 2005-02-10 | 2009-02-04 | 株式会社日立製作所 | PWM inverter device and control method thereof |
GB2482653B (en) * | 2010-06-07 | 2012-08-29 | Enecsys Ltd | Solar photovoltaic systems |
US9564835B2 (en) * | 2013-03-15 | 2017-02-07 | Sunpower Corporation | Inverter communications using output signal |
KR102156060B1 (en) * | 2014-02-10 | 2020-09-15 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Communication device and photovoltaic system |
KR20150115561A (en) * | 2014-04-04 | 2015-10-14 | 삼성에스디아이 주식회사 | Apparatus for power conditioning system of solar photovoltaic |
KR102308628B1 (en) * | 2015-01-21 | 2021-10-05 | 삼성에스디아이 주식회사 | Hybrid Power Conversion System and Method for Determining Maximum Efficiency Using the Same |
JP5985775B1 (en) * | 2016-03-18 | 2016-09-06 | 田淵電機株式会社 | Isolated operation detection device and isolated operation detection method |
US20190036481A1 (en) * | 2017-07-25 | 2019-01-31 | Sunpower Corporation | Photovoltaic module with distributed power conversion circuits |
-
2018
- 2018-11-15 WO PCT/KR2018/014004 patent/WO2019098709A1/en active Application Filing
- 2018-11-15 US US16/192,390 patent/US11211897B2/en active Active
-
2021
- 2021-11-19 US US17/531,440 patent/US20220077818A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011102910A1 (en) * | 2010-02-22 | 2011-08-25 | Petra Solar Inc. | Method and system for controlling resonant converters used in solar inverters |
WO2014192014A2 (en) * | 2013-05-02 | 2014-12-04 | Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay | Method and system for a low cost bi-directional grid tied photovoltaic (pv) micro inverter |
US20170085090A1 (en) * | 2014-05-16 | 2017-03-23 | Solar Ship Inc. | Four-quadrant partial power processing switched-mode converter for photovoltaic applications |
US20150340868A1 (en) * | 2014-05-25 | 2015-11-26 | Sunpower Corporation | Alternative source module array characterization |
US20180191273A1 (en) * | 2016-12-30 | 2018-07-05 | Sunpower Corporation | Three-level inverter switching |
CN106849681A (en) * | 2017-04-11 | 2017-06-13 | 厦门大学 | A kind of high-gain isolated active clamping Sofe Switch DC DC converters |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
CN106849681 English translation (Year: 2017) * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US11211897B2 (en) | 2021-12-28 |
US20190149086A1 (en) | 2019-05-16 |
WO2019098709A1 (en) | 2019-05-23 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20220077818A1 (en) | Photovoltaic module | |
US9716466B2 (en) | Power conversion apparatus, photovoltaic module and communication device and photovoltaic system including the same | |
EP2897287B1 (en) | Photovoltaic module | |
US20140153303A1 (en) | Solar module having a back plane integrated inverter | |
US9379641B2 (en) | Energy recovery circuit for distributed power converters in solar cells | |
KR102317140B1 (en) | Power converting apparatus, and photovoltaic module | |
US10715054B2 (en) | Power conversion device and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20150088132A (en) | Power converting apparatus, and photovoltaic module | |
US20200169216A1 (en) | Photovoltaic module | |
US20220263428A1 (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR102272675B1 (en) | Photovoltaic module | |
US9614375B2 (en) | Power conversion apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR102279789B1 (en) | Power converting apparatus, and photovoltaic module | |
US10868476B2 (en) | Power converting apparatus, and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20190055734A (en) | Photovoltaic module | |
CN113708408A (en) | Multi-output mode single-phase photovoltaic inverter adaptive to illumination conditions and control method | |
KR20210069439A (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20190129466A (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR102614497B1 (en) | Power converting device and and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20210130477A (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20200141836A (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20210115783A (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
KR20220030624A (en) | Power converting apparatus and photovoltaic module including the same | |
NARENDER et al. | An Interleaved High-Power Flyback Inverter for Photovoltaic Applications | |
KR20190051333A (en) | Photovoltaic module |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: DOCKETED NEW CASE - READY FOR EXAMINATION |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: NON FINAL ACTION MAILED |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |