Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are the best solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by fossil fuel combustion, with global capability now exceeding 714 GW due to rapid technological advances in solar panels (SPs). However, SPs’ efficiency and lifespan remain limited due to the absence of advance...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abhitej Divi, Shuza Binzaid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Solar
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/5/2/24
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850165288709914624
author Abhitej Divi
Shuza Binzaid
author_facet Abhitej Divi
Shuza Binzaid
author_sort Abhitej Divi
collection DOAJ
description Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are the best solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by fossil fuel combustion, with global capability now exceeding 714 GW due to rapid technological advances in solar panels (SPs). However, SPs’ efficiency and lifespan remain limited due to the absence of advanced fault-detection systems, and they are prone to short circuits (SC), open circuits (OC), and power degradation. Therefore, this large-scale production requires reliable, real-time fault diagnosis to maintain panel performance. However, traditional diagnostic methods implemented using MPPT, neural networks, or microcontroller-based systems often rely on complex computational algorithms and are not cost-effective. So, this paper proposes a diagnostic system composed of six functional blocks to address this issue. The proposed system was initially verified using an Intel DE-10 Lite FPGA board. Once its functionality was confirmed, an ASIC design was proposed for mass production, offering a significantly lower implementation cost and reduced hardware complexity than prior methods. Different circuit designs were developed for each of the six blocks. All designs were created using Cadence software and TSMC 180 nm technology files. The basic components used in these designs include PMOS transistors with 300 nm channel length and 2 µm width, NMOS transistors with 350 nm channel length and 2 µm width, as well as resistors and capacitors. Differential amplifiers with a gain of 40 dB were used for voltage and current sensing from the SP. The chip activation signal generator circuit was designed with an adjustable frequency and generated 120 MHz and 100 MHz signals in this work. The decision-making block, Logic Driver Circuit, was innovatively implemented using a reduced number of transistors. A custom memory block with a reset switch was also implemented to store the fault value detected at the SP. Finally, the proposed ASIC was implemented for fabrication, which is highly cost-effective in mass production and does not require complex computational stages.
format Article
id doaj-art-53bb433b2aa04861b3610f293e737fda
institution OA Journals
issn 2673-9941
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Solar
spelling doaj-art-53bb433b2aa04861b3610f293e737fda2025-08-20T02:21:47ZengMDPI AGSolar2673-99412025-05-01522410.3390/solar5020024Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for FabricationAbhitej Divi0Shuza Binzaid1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX 77446, USADepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX 77446, USASolar photovoltaic (PV) panels are the best solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by fossil fuel combustion, with global capability now exceeding 714 GW due to rapid technological advances in solar panels (SPs). However, SPs’ efficiency and lifespan remain limited due to the absence of advanced fault-detection systems, and they are prone to short circuits (SC), open circuits (OC), and power degradation. Therefore, this large-scale production requires reliable, real-time fault diagnosis to maintain panel performance. However, traditional diagnostic methods implemented using MPPT, neural networks, or microcontroller-based systems often rely on complex computational algorithms and are not cost-effective. So, this paper proposes a diagnostic system composed of six functional blocks to address this issue. The proposed system was initially verified using an Intel DE-10 Lite FPGA board. Once its functionality was confirmed, an ASIC design was proposed for mass production, offering a significantly lower implementation cost and reduced hardware complexity than prior methods. Different circuit designs were developed for each of the six blocks. All designs were created using Cadence software and TSMC 180 nm technology files. The basic components used in these designs include PMOS transistors with 300 nm channel length and 2 µm width, NMOS transistors with 350 nm channel length and 2 µm width, as well as resistors and capacitors. Differential amplifiers with a gain of 40 dB were used for voltage and current sensing from the SP. The chip activation signal generator circuit was designed with an adjustable frequency and generated 120 MHz and 100 MHz signals in this work. The decision-making block, Logic Driver Circuit, was innovatively implemented using a reduced number of transistors. A custom memory block with a reset switch was also implemented to store the fault value detected at the SP. Finally, the proposed ASIC was implemented for fabrication, which is highly cost-effective in mass production and does not require complex computational stages.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/5/2/24solar panel fault diagnosisvoltage and current sensingapplication-specific integrated circuitlogic driver circuitFPGA
spellingShingle Abhitej Divi
Shuza Binzaid
Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication
Solar
solar panel fault diagnosis
voltage and current sensing
application-specific integrated circuit
logic driver circuit
FPGA
title Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication
title_full Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication
title_fullStr Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication
title_full_unstemmed Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication
title_short Solar Photovoltaic Diagnostic System with Logic Verification and Integrated Circuit Design for Fabrication
title_sort solar photovoltaic diagnostic system with logic verification and integrated circuit design for fabrication
topic solar panel fault diagnosis
voltage and current sensing
application-specific integrated circuit
logic driver circuit
FPGA
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9941/5/2/24
work_keys_str_mv AT abhitejdivi solarphotovoltaicdiagnosticsystemwithlogicverificationandintegratedcircuitdesignforfabrication
AT shuzabinzaid solarphotovoltaicdiagnosticsystemwithlogicverificationandintegratedcircuitdesignforfabrication