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Circuits designed by David Johnson, P.E.
Last Updated on:
Monday, December 25, 2017 02:08 PM
List of Dave's Circuit Designs
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More
Solar Panels
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Ideal Diode for
Photovoltaic Solar Panels
March 1, 2011 |
Solar panels usually include a diode at
their outputs. The diode prevents current from back feeding into the panel at
night from the battery being charged by the panel. But, this diode does waste
some power and does reduce the available panel voltage. To reduce both the power
and the voltage drop to a low level, Solar panels usually
include a diode at their |
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outputs. The diode prevents current from back feeding into the panel at night
from the battery being charged by the panel. But, this diode does waste some
power and does reduce the available panel voltage. To reduce both the power
and the voltage drop to a low level, the circuit below can be used. It uses a
LTC4357 integrated circuit from Linear Technology. The IC contains almost all
the parts needed to drive an external n-channel FET to perform the diode function.
With the components shown, the panel voltage could be as high as 80v and the current
could be in excess of 10 Amps. A typical 60 cell 250 watt panel will have an
open circuit voltage of 37 volts and a short circuit current of 9 Amps. |
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Text & Graphics Copyright © of David A.
Johnson, P. E. -- ALL rights reserved, NO EXCEPTIONS! |
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Click
on Drawing Below to view PDF version of Schematic |
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