Output details
13 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials
University of Southampton
Photovoltaic sample-and-hold circuit enabling MPPT indoors for low-power systems
Significance of output:
This paper combines theory with practical validation to demonstrate, for the first time, efficient maximum power point tracking for photovoltaic cells, both in low indoor lighting and outdoors. The design offers significant advantages over existing technologies: it is 21% more efficient than the established circuits for indoor systems; it offers faster start-up times and the ability efficiently to charge storage devices to higher voltages; it does not require an additional light sensor. This opens up new applications for wireless sensor nodes powered by indoor light, and the technique is also applicable to other forms of energy harvesting.
