12/10/2016

SolutionsTechniquestoMaximizeSolarPanelPowerOutput

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Solutions(http://domain.com/solutions)
PowerManagement(http://www.linear.com/solutions/Power_Management)
BatteryManagement(http://www.linear.com/solutions/Battery_Management)
BatteryChargerIC(http://www.linear.com/solutions/Battery_Charger_IC)
Buck/BoostBatteryChargers(http://www.linear.com/solutions/Buck|Boost_Battery_Chargers)

DOCUMENTATION
LTJournal
BatteryChargersUniqueInput
RegulationLoopSimplifies
SolarPanelMaximumPower
PointTracking
(http://www.linear.com/docs/30207)

TechniquestoMaximizeSolarPanelPowerOutput

HarvestEnergyfromaSingle
PhotovoltaicCell

TrevorBarcelo(http://domain.com/designtools/authors.php?author=TrevorBarcelo)ProductLineManager

(http://www.linear.com/docs/39683)

BatteryManagement

SolarBatteryChargerMaintains
HighEfficiencyinLowLight

Feb3rd2014
Tworecentarticles,"EnergyHarvestingWithLowPowerSolarPanels
(http://www.linear.com/solutions/1786)"and"SolarBatteryChargerMaintainsHighEfficiencyatLow
Light(http://www.linear.com/solutions/4445)",discusshowtoefficientlyharvestenergywithlowpower
solarpanels.Bothofthesearticlesmentionaconceptknownasmaximumpower,whichinthecontextof
solarpanelsistheabilitytoextractasmuchpoweraspossiblefromthesolarpanelwithoutcollapsingthe
panelvoltage.Whendiscussingsolarpanelsandpower,termssuchasMaximumPowerPointTracking
(MPPT)andMaximumPowerPointControl(MPPC)areoftenused.Letslookintothedefinitionand
meaningofthesetermsinmoredetail.
AscanbeseeninFigure1,theoutputcurrentofasolarpanelvariesnonlinearlywiththepanelvoltage.
Undershortcircuitconditionstheoutputpoweriszerosincetheoutputvoltageiszero.Underopen
circuitconditionstheoutputpoweriszerosincetheoutputcurrentiszero.Mostsolarpanel
manufacturerswillspecifythepanelvoltageatmaximumpower(Vmp).Thisvoltageistypicallyaround
7080%ofthepanelsopencircuitvoltage(Voc).InFigure1themaximumpowerisjustunder140W
withVmpjustunder32VandImpjustunder4.5A.

(http://www.linear.com/docs/43897)

PRODUCTS
LT3652PowerTracking2A
BatteryChargerforSolarPower
(http://www.linear.com/product/LT3652)

LT3652HVPowerTracking
2ABatteryCharger
(http://www.linear.com/product/LT3652HV)

LT8490HighVoltage,High
CurrentBuckBoostBattery
ChargeControllerwith
MaximumPowerPointTracking
(MPPT)
(http://www.linear.com/product/LT8490)

LTC3105400mAStepUp
DC/DCConverterwith
MaximumPowerPointControl
and250mVStartUp
(http://www.linear.com/product/LTC3105)

LTC312915V,200mA
SynchronousBuckBoost
DC/DCConverterwith1.3A
QuiescentCurrent
(http://www.linear.com/product/LTC3129)

LTC40001HighVoltageHigh
CurrentControllerforBattery
ChargingwithMaximumPower
PointControl
(http://www.linear.com/product/LTC4000
1)

LTC402055VBuckBoost
MultiChemistryBattery
Charger
(http://www.linear.com/product/LTC4020)

RELATED
SOLUTIONS

(http://cds.linear.com/image/Solar_Panel_Power.JPG)

Figure1.SolarpanelIVcurveshowingmaximumpower
http://www.linear.com/solutions/4545

MaximumPowerPointControl
(http://domain.com/solutions/1049)
SimplifiesEnergyHarvesting
(http://domain.com/solutions/1049)
(http://domain.com/solutions/4445)

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12/10/2016

SolutionsTechniquestoMaximizeSolarPanelPowerOutput

Ideally,anysystemusingasolarpanelwouldoperatethatpanelatitsmaximumpoweroutput.Thisis
particularlytrueofasolarpoweredbatterycharger,wherethegoal,presumably,istocaptureandstoreas
muchsolarenergyaspossibleinaslittletimeaspossible.Putanotherway,sincewecannotpredictthe

LT3652SolarBatteryCharger
MaintainsHighEfficiencyinLow
Light
(http://domain.com/solutions/1532)

availabilityorintensityofsolarpower,weneedtoharnessasmuchenergyaspossiblewhileenergyis
available.

LTC3105IndustrialSensor4mAto
CART(#)
SHARE(#)

MYLINEARLOGIN(http://www.linear.com/mylinear)

Therearemanydifferentwaystotrytooperateasolarpanelatitsmaximumpowerpoint.Oneofthe

20mACurrentLoopPowerTap

simplestistoconnectabatterytothesolarpanelthroughadiode.Thistechniqueisdescribedhereinthe

(http://domain.com/solutions/1532)
(http://domain.com/solutions/5337)

article"EnergyHarvestingWithLowPowerSolarPanels(http://www.linear.com/solutions/1786)".Itrelies
onmatchingthemaximumpoweroutputvoltageofthepaneltotherelativelynarrowvoltagerangeofthe
battery.Whenavailablepowerlevelsareverylow(approximatelylessthanafewtensofmilliwatts),this

55VHighEfficiencyBuckBoost

maybethebestapproach.

PowerManagerandMulti
ChemistryBatteryCharger

TheoppositeendofthespectrumisanapproachthatimplementsacompleteMaximumPowerPoint
Tracking(MPPT)algorithm.ThereareavarietyofMPPTalgorithms,butmostwillhavesomeabilityto
sweeptheentireoperatingrangeofthesolarpaneltofindwheremaximumpowerisproduced.The
LT8490(http://domain.com/LT8490)isanexampleofanintegratedcircuitthatperformsthisfunction.The
advantageofafullMPPTalgorithmisthatitcandifferentiatealocalpowerpeakfromaglobalpower
maximum.Inmulticellsolarpanels,itispossibletohavemorethanonepowerpeakduringpartial
shadingconditions(seeFigure2).Typically,afullMPPTalgorithmisrequiredtofindthetruemaximum
poweroperatingpoint.Itdoessobyperiodicallysweepingtheentireoutputrangeofthesolarpaneland
rememberingtheoperatingconditionswheremaximumpowerwasachieved.Whenthesweepis
complete,thecircuitryforcesthepaneltoreturntoitsmaximumpowerpoint.Inbetweentheseperiodic
sweeps,theMPPTalgorithmwillcontinuouslydithertheoperatingpointtoensurethatitoperatesatthe
peak.

(http://domain.com/solutions/5574)

LT3652HVBasic2A1Cell
LiFePO4Charger(3.6VFloat)with
C/10Termination
(http://domain.com/solutions/5195)

LT849027.4VSolarPanelLithium
IonPolymerBatteryCharger
(http://domain.com/solutions/5195)

LTC312915V,200mASynchronous
(http://domain.com/solutions/1162)
BuckBoostConverterwith1.3uA
IqVideoProductBrief
(http://domain.com/solutions/1639)

LTC3105/LTC40712CellSolar
PanelLiIonBatteryCharger
(http://domain.com/solutions/1639)
(http://domain.com/solutions/1749)

LTC3129EnergyHarvesting
ConverterOperatesfromaVariety
ofWeakSources
(http://domain.com/solutions/5193)

LT3652HV1ASolarPanelPowered
3Stage12VLeadAcidFast/Float
Charger

(http://cds.linear.com/image/Solar_Panel_Power__Shade.JPG)

Figure2.Partiallyshadedsolarpanelshowingmultiplepowermaxima
AnintermediateapproachissomethingthatLinearTechnologycallsMaximumPowerPointControl
(MPPC).Thistechniquetakesadvantageofthefactthatthemaximumpowervoltage(VMP)ofasolar
paneldoesnot,typically,varymuchastheamountofincidentlightchanges(see"SolarBatteryCharger
MaintainsHighEfficiencyinLowLight(http://www.linear.com/solutions/4445)"formoreinformation).
Therefore,asimplecircuitcanforcethepaneltooperateatafixedvoltageandapproximatemaximum
poweroperation.Avoltagedividerisusedtomeasurethepanelvoltageandiftheinputvoltagefalls
http://www.linear.com/solutions/4545

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12/10/2016

SolutionsTechniquestoMaximizeSolarPanelPowerOutput

belowtheprogrammedlevel,theloadonthepanelisreduceduntilitcanmaintaintheprogrammed
voltagelevel.ProductswiththisfunctionalityincludetheLTC3105(http://domain.com/LTC3105),
LTC3129(http://domain.com/LTC3129),LT3652(http://domain.com/LT3652)(HV
(http://domain.com/LT3652HV)),LTC40001(http://domain.com/LTC4000),andLTC4020
(http://domain.com/LTC4020).NotethattheLT3652andLT3652HVdatasheetrefertoMPPTratherthan

MPPC,butthisislargelybecauseLinearTechnologyhadnotcomeupwiththeMPPCterminologywhen
theLT3652productwasreleased.

MYLINEARLOGIN(http://www.linear.com/mylinear)

CART(#)

SHARE(#)

AfinalnoteaboutMPPCandtheLTC3105theLTC3105isaboostconverterthatcanstartupatthe
exceedinglylowvoltageof0.25V.ThismakestheLTC3105particularlywellsuitedforboostingthe
outputvoltageofa1Ssolarpanel(i.e.asolarpanelwhoseoutputvoltageisthatofasingle
photovoltaiccell,evenifthepanelhasmanyphotovoltaiccellsinparallel).Witha1Ssolarpanel,there
willbeonlyonemaximumpowerpointitisnotpossibletohavemultiplepowerpeaks.Inthisscenario,
differentiatingbetweenmultiplemaximaisnotnecessary.
Insummary,manydifferentwaysofoperatingasolarpanelatitsmaximumoutputoperatingcondition
exist.Thepanelcanbeconnectedtoabattery(throughadiode)whosevoltagerangeisclosetothe
maximumpowervoltageofthepanel.AfullMPPTalgorithm,includingperiodicglobalsweepstofind
theglobalmaximumandacontinuousdithertoremainatthatmaximum(anexampleistheLT8490),can
beused.Otherproductsimplementaninputvoltageregulationtechnique(MPPC)tooperateasolarpanel
atafixedoperatingvoltageincludingtheLTC3105,LTC3129,LT3652(HV),LTC40001andthe
LTC4020.Inthecomingmonths,LinearTechnologywillintroduceyetanothertechniqueforoperatinga
solarpanelatitsmaximumpowerpoint.Staytuned!

ViewMoreSolarEnergyHarvestingSolutions

LTC31073.6VSolarPowered
(http://domain.com/solutions/4507)
BatteryLifeExtenderWorks
fromIndoorLighting

LTC3130OutdoorSolarPanel (http://domain.com/solutions/7408)
Powered,600mA
SupercapacitorchargerUsing
MPPC

(http://domain.com/solutions/4507)

(http://domain.com/solutions/7408)

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