Cooling Concept and Molding Packaging for PV Module Integrated Micro-Inverters

Abstract:
To date, PV micro-inverters, typically powered by one PV module, have been external devices outside of the solar module. The integration of the micro-inverter results in several advantages such as simplification of the installation, an increase in modular flexibility, safety, efficiency and reliability as well as significant reduction in costs. However, the requirements for the integration of an inverter with high power density are demanding, especially the cooling of the power semiconductors and passive components is challenging due to the possible high ambient temperatures between the PV module and the roof surface. The objective of this paper is the simulation and measurement based verification of a combined molding and housing concept which is designed for the cooling and heat distribution of around 10 W power losses of a DC/DC converter.