Summary The dual active bridge (DAB) converter has high efficiency and versatility; hence, such a converter has been used to design photovoltaic (PV) applications with both step‐up and step‐down voltage capabilities. However, PV systems require maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controllers to track the optimal operation conditions; moreover, PV voltage controllers are required to reject load perturbations that reduce the MPPT performance. This paper describes the operation of a DAB converter in PV systems and compares the performance of the DAB converter with a classical boost solution. In addition, this paper also presents a systematic analysis of the control techniques for DAB converters in PV applications, which provides useful information for selecting the most suitable approach for a particular application.