Multiple Input Single Output Converter with MPPT for Renewable Energy Applications

Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) converters typically employs techniques that yield equal current sharing from each energy source. However, for renewable energy applications this may not be desirable since each source may be rated at different power ratings and/or may experience different operating conditions. A proposed two-stage converter system is presented to incorporate the MPPT control in the MISO system. The initial stage implements the MPPT, drawing as much power from the corresponding source. The second stage regulates the output voltage of the MPPT. To evaluate the performance and efficiency of the proposed system, simulation with two solar panels as the sources was performed using Simulink with various test cases to fully explore the viability of the system. Simulation results were also used to compare with those obtained from a system without the MPPT. Results show that the proposed system with the MPPT stage is able to improve input regulation and increase the total amount of power acquired from the sources compared to the system without the MPPT. Further testing with hardware setup confirms the simulation results and demonstrates that even with large differences in input powers, the most total amount of power is achieved and utilized.