1. CUER Electrical System
MPPTs

2. Solar Cell characteristics
Photovoltaic Cells have a non-linear IV curve, like the one shown below
The curve shifts depending upon environmental conditions, eg: temperature, incident light intensity.
The PV curve has a characteristic “Maximum power point (MPP)”. P
MPP V

3. Maximum Power Point Trackers
Endeavour’s solar array is split into 4 discrete “modules”, each with an output of roughly 40V. The battery system is over 100V, so the maximum power point tracker (MPPT) acts as a boost converter to step up the voltage.
High voltage battery
140V
MPPT
Solar Module
~40V

4. Maximum Power Point Trackers
But an MPPT must do more than simply boost the output of the solar module.
The module should always be operated at the MPP.
The MPP varies depending on environmental conditions, so it must be actively tracked

5. Maximum Power Point Trackers
One common method of maximum power point tracking is “perturb and observe”.
The MPPT periodically perturbs the operating point, observes the output, and decides which direction to perturb the voltage in next time.
This way the tracker is constantly hunting for the maximum power using a closed-loop algorithm.

6. CUER’s MPPTs
CUER uses Drivetek MPPTs. These originate from a Biel University project, and are designed specifically for solar car use.
Efficiency is excellent, typically >95% under good sunlight (see below)

7. CUER’s MPPTs
The switching circuit is a boost converter with “Active Snubber Circuit”. This works to practically eliminate switching losses by only switching the MOSFETs at zero current/zero voltage