More residential buildings and individual households choose to install their own solar panels, resulting in growing demand for solutions with specific application requirements. Typical challenges that residential solar systems face include shadowing, different roof angles and panel cleanliness. Residential system designers call for modularity, MPPT, easy installation and security.
Installations in residential areas often make use of micro inverters and power optimisers, in combination with string inverters. Micro inverters convert the energy provided by single or multiple photovoltaic (PV) panels to AC to supply the grid. They are usually rated at 400 W for single PV panels and up to 1.5 kW for multiple PV panels.
Microinverters typically rely on two-stage power conversion. In the first stage, the DC-DC stage or booster converts variable DC voltage into a fixed DC voltage (typically 40 to 60 V). At the same time, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is used to maximise the energy harvested from the PV panels. The second stage incorporates the DC-AC inverter which converts DC into grid compatible single-phase AC power.
Unlike string inverters however, micro inverters are attached to one, two or four PV panels and perform MPPT tracking per PV module separately. At this power level, discrete power devices provide the optimal solution.
With choosing the traditional silicon-based MOSFETs, designers will benefit from an excellent price/performance ratio and Infineon’s large market portfolio with best-in-class RDS. Upgrading to silicon carbide and gallium-nitride technologies, however, enables micro inverter systems with highest performance, efficiency and power density. Visit http://bitly.ws/totW to learn about these solutions from Infineon.
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