Open AccessLow‐Power Cool Bypass Switch for Hot Spot Prevention in Photovoltaic Panels
Author(s) -
Pennisi Salvatore,
Pulvirenti Francesco,
La Scala Amedeo
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
etri journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.295
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2233-7326
pISSN - 1225-6463
DOI - 10.4218/etrij.11.0110.0744
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , schottky diode , electrical engineering , dissipation , diode , hot spot (computer programming) , engineering , power (physics) , voltage , electronic engineering , automotive engineering , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , operating system
With the introduction of high‐current 8‐inch solar cells, conventional Schottky bypass diodes, usually adopted in photovoltaic (PV) panels to prevent the hot spot phenomenon, are becoming ineffective as they cause relatively high voltage drops with associated undue power consumption. In this paper, we present the architecture of an active circuit that reduces the aforementioned power dissipation by profitably replacing the bypass diode through a power MOS switch with its embedded driving circuitry. Experimental prototypes were fabricated and tested, showing that the proposed solution allows a reduction of the power dissipation by more than 70% compared to conventional Schottky diodes. The whole circuit does not require a dedicated DC power and is fully compatible with standard CMOS technologies. This enables its integration, even directly on the panel, thereby opening new scenarios for next generation PV systems.