advertisement Shrink Solar Panel Size by Increasing Performance
Design Note 1012
John Shannon
Introduction
Solar panels are gaining acceptance as a practical means
of electricity generation in remote locations, but despite
improvements in the technology, solar panels remain
expensive. Much of the expense is the panel itself, where
the size, and thus cost, of the panel rises with required
power output. Maximizing panel performance is important in order to realize the smallest, most cost effective
solution.
This Design Note presents two simple circuits that increase the energy harvested by a solar panel. In both of
these cases, the panel charges a battery, which in turn,
supports operation of the application circuit when the sun
isn’t shining.
Design Requirements
Optimum design of a solar battery charger requires some
understanding of the characteristics of the panel. First,
solar panels are leaky due to the large junction area, so the
battery can discharge through the panel during dark
periods. Also, every solar panel has a characteristic VI
curve with a maximum power point, so to the extent that
the load characteristics and the panel characteristics …
