Course
Discipline-related skills
- Photovoltaic Basics
- PV System Summer School 2022
- High Voltage Laboratory: Specialized Training and Safety Preparedness
- DC Summer School 2024
Transferable skills
- Effective Negotiation: Win-Win Communication
- Teamwork, Leadership, and Group Dynamics
- Time Management I – Foundation
- Conversation Skills.
Teaching Assistance
- Supervising Master’s Students. Communication
- Photovoltaic Lab Course.
- Solar Energy: Photovoltaic (PV) Systems.
PhD Project
Key Words:
Power electronic converter, differential power processing, maximum power point tracking, photovoltaic/battery system, small signal modelling, system identification
Theory:
My research focuses on improving the efficiency and scalability of photovoltaic (PV) energy systems by reducing mismatch losses — energy losses caused when PV modules or strings operate under different conditions. Traditional full power processing (FPP) architectures handle all generated power but suffer from lower efficiency, higher cost, and limited scalability. Differential power processing (DPP) architectures improve efficiency by processing only the mismatch power, but existing designs (series DPP and parallel DPP) still face challenges, especially with voltage ratings, scalability, and high conversion ratios.
I propose a new PV-to-Virtual-Bus Parallel DPP (PV2VB PDPP) architecture, where converters connect to a low-voltage virtual bus instead of directly to the main bus or PV strings. This reduces component stress, enables the use of smaller and more efficient MOSFET-based converters, simplifies electromagnetic compliance, and improves power density. The architecture is also more scalable — allowing easy expansion without increasing converter voltage ratings — and offers potential cost savings in both production and maintenance. Experimental results confirm its efficiency and adaptability, making it a promising step forward for high-performance PV systems.
A key contribution is the PV-to-Virtual-Bus Parallel DPP (PV2VB PDPP) architecture, where string-level converters operate from a low-voltage virtual bus instead of directly from high-voltage PV strings. This reduces stress on components, increases efficiency (96.4–99%), and simplifies design. The research includes dynamic modeling and stability analysis, showing rapid voltage stabilization for reliable maximum power point tracking.
The concept is extended with battery integration at the virtual bus for efficient energy storage and management, achieving efficiencies of 95.5–99%. Another innovation, the PV2VB Series-Parallel DPP (PV2VB SPDPP) architecture, addresses mismatches in both series and parallel PV configurations by combining string-level converters with module-integrated converters. Both use the virtual bus to minimize power handling and voltage stress, improving scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Prototype setup
The proposed PV2VB PDPP architecture performs maximum power point tracking (MPPT) at the string level without processing the entire power output, improving efficiency. A laboratory prototype was built and tested using programmable DC supplies to emulate both uniform and partially shaded PV strings. Experiments confirmed effective MPPT under varying conditions, demonstrating the architecture’s ability to handle mismatches between strings while maintaining high performance.
For more information, click here to access the thesis