A Reflex Charger with ZVS and Non-Dissipative Cells for Photovoltaic Energy Conversion

In this paper, a reflex charger with zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) and non-dissipative cells for photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion is presented. The proposed reflex charger has the following advantages: (1) A ZVS cell is incorporated to reduce the switching losses of the main and auxiliary switches. Therefore, the conversion efficiency of the proposed reflex charger can be improved significantly; (2) A non-dissipative charging/discharging reflex cell is used to increase charging efficiency and extend lifecycle of battery. Finally, a prototype reflex charger with ZVS and non-dissipative cells is built and implemented. Experimental results are presented to verify the performance and the feasibility of the proposed reflex charger for PV energy conversion.