ABSTRACT
This chapter emphasizes the characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) system components in order to pave the way for designing systems in this context. In order to obtain adequate output voltage, PV cells are generally connected in series to form a PV module. An important observation relating to the series connection of PV cells relates to shading of individual cells. The chapter presents considerations in battery selection for PV systems and alternatives to battery energy storage, so the PV design engineer will be able to make educated choices, based on sound economic and engineering principles, as to which type of energy storage to incorporate into a specific PV system design. It introduces the basic electronic components of PV systems. These components include charge controllers, maximum power point trackings (MPPT), linear current boosters (LCBs), and inverters. All switches, circuit breakers, and fuses used in the dc sections of PV systems must be rated for use with dc.
