In this paper, an interleaved step-up converter with a single-capacitor snubber for PV energy conversion applications is proposed. The step-up converter adopts two sets of boost converters with an interleaved fashion and coupled-inductor technology to reduce output ripple current and increase output power level. To achieve higher conversion efficiency and reduce switching losses of the proposed converter, a lossless single-capacitor turn-off snubber is introduced. Therefore, the conversion efficiency can be increased significantly. In order to draw the maximum power from the PV arrays, a perturbation-and-observation method and a microcontroller are associated to implement maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm and power regulating scheme. Finally, a prototype of a soft-switching interleaved soft-switching boost converter with coupled inductors has been built and implemented. Experimental results have obtained to verify the performance and feasibility of the proposed converter for PV arrays applications. 
Interleaved step-up converter with a single-capacitor snubber for PV energy conversion applications