Practicality of Boost-type DC-DC Converter for Single Solar Cell

Solar cell systems have gained increasing attention with gradual improvements in their cost and conversion efficiency. Paint-type solar cells have been proposed. Such solar cells have several advantages, including a follow-up curved surface, free shape, and a seamless aesthetically pleasing design. In general, a solar cell is fabricated based on a series of possible configurations, and the output voltage of the solar module setup can be up to several tens of volts. In applications that involve exploiting a free shape, such devices may not provide a sufficient current. Moreover, this current may then be interrupted as a result of the small cell size or partial light blockage owing to the series construction. To address these problems, DC-DC converters based on the performance of aesthetically designed solar cells have been investigated. These components can be boosted to an easy-to-use voltage for practical daily applications. In this paper, the possibility of achieving their practical use based on a prototype is discussed based on experimental data.