The Sensitivity of an Electro-Thermal Photovoltaic DC–DC Converter Model to the Temperature Dependence of the Electrical Variables for Reliability Analyses

Wieland Van De Sande, Simon Ravyts, Omid Alavi, Philippe Nivelle, Johan Driesen and Michaël Daenen
Additional contact information
Wieland Van De Sande: IMO-IMOMEC, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
Simon Ravyts: ESAT-ELECTA, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Omid Alavi: IMO-IMOMEC, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
Philippe Nivelle: IMO-IMOMEC, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
Johan Driesen: ESAT-ELECTA, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Michaël Daenen: IMO-IMOMEC, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 1, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: The operational expenditures of solar energy are gaining attention because of the continuous decrease of the capital expenditures. This creates a demand for more reliable systems to further decrease the costs. Increased reliability is often ensured by iterative use of design for reliability. The number of iterations that can take place strongly depends on the computational efficiency of this methodology. The main research objective is to quantify the influence of the temperature dependence of the electrical variables used in the electro-thermal model on the reliability and the computation time. The influence on the reliability is evaluated by using a 2-D finite elements method model of the MOSFET and calculating the plastic energy dissipation density in the die-attach and the bond wire. The trade-off between computation time of the electro-thermal model in PLECS (4.3, Plexim, Zurich, Switzerland) and generated plastic energy accuracy obtained in COMSOL (5.3, COMSOL Inc., Burlington, MA, USA) is reported when excluding a certain temperature dependence. The results indicate that the temperature dependence of the input and output capacitors causes no change in the plastic energy dissipated in the MOSFET but does introduce the largest increase in computation time. However, not including the temperature dependence of the MOSFET itself generates the largest difference in plastic energy of 10% as the losses in the die are underestimated.

Keywords: photovoltaic; DC/DC converter; sensitivity; temperature dependence; plastic energy dissipation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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