Optimal Design of PV Systems Considering Levelized Cost of Energy and Power Density

This paper presents an optimal design framework for photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems. With the objectives of minimizing levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and maximizing power density (PD) of PV inverters, all design components of PV inverters including inverter topologies, semiconductor (SC) devices, DC bus capacitors, switching frequency, AC output filter, and cooling system are designed in a holistic framework. Particularly, the design framework is formulated as a constrained optimization problem to determine the optimal combination of key components of PV inverters. With real solar profiles, three 100-kW PV systems are designed featuring an optimal LCOE with different weather conditions, and a high PD and energy conversion efficiency can be guaranteed using the proposed framework. The testing results using field data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimal design framework.