Forward-Based DC-DC Converter With Eliminated Leakage Inductance Problem

The novel forward-based converter for low-power solar applications is presented in this work. The proposed converter provides an efficient performance in a wide range of the input voltage with low component count. The proposed dc-dc topologies are advanced forward dc-dc converters with an additional clamped output capacitor. The idea of such a type of converter is to transfer magnetizing energy of transformer to the output side, instead of using an input clamp circuit. Two possible topologies are considered to cover this feature. The design guidelines of the passive component of the proposed solutions are discussed. The converter may work in continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode due to different levels of the input power. A comparison between proposed topologies is made and discussed. Experimental prototype of the proposed forward-based dc-dc converter along with experimental results of the dc grid connection system are presented. The parameters of commercial photovoltaic panels have been chosen to validate the maximum power point tracking based on Perturb and Observe algorithm. The efficiency of the proposed solution is studied and discussed.