Solar Charge Control via Maximum Power Point Tracking

Lead Author Major

Engineering Physics

Lead Author Status

Senior

Second Author Major

Electrical Engineering

Second Author Status

Senior

Format

SOECS Senior Project Demonstration

Faculty Mentor Name

Dr. Elizabeth Basha

Faculty Mentor Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract/Artist Statement

Solar energy is an important means to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy sources. The aim of our project was to create a solar cell charge controller that will efficiently charge a lead acid battery over a range of input voltages without damaging said battery. It utilizes a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm which tracks the voltage and current generated by the solar array, and modulates the output voltage of the buck-boost converter accordingly. The final prototype will allow a lead acid battery to be charged using a photo-voltaic cell under a variety of environmental conditions. Our design implements a self designed buck-boost converter simulated using OrCAD PSPICE circuit simulation software, as well as a Teensy 3.6 micro-controller running the MPPT algorithm written using the Arduino language and IDE. The final product is to be fabricated using Eagle PCB designer. Initial simulations of the various circuit components produced desired results, allowing us to move forward with more simulations as well as PCB design.

Location

Virtual

Start Date

25-4-2020 2:00 PM

End Date

25-4-2020 4:00 PM

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Apr 25th, 2:00 PM Apr 25th, 4:00 PM

Solar Charge Control via Maximum Power Point Tracking

Virtual

Solar energy is an important means to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy sources. The aim of our project was to create a solar cell charge controller that will efficiently charge a lead acid battery over a range of input voltages without damaging said battery. It utilizes a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm which tracks the voltage and current generated by the solar array, and modulates the output voltage of the buck-boost converter accordingly. The final prototype will allow a lead acid battery to be charged using a photo-voltaic cell under a variety of environmental conditions. Our design implements a self designed buck-boost converter simulated using OrCAD PSPICE circuit simulation software, as well as a Teensy 3.6 micro-controller running the MPPT algorithm written using the Arduino language and IDE. The final product is to be fabricated using Eagle PCB designer. Initial simulations of the various circuit components produced desired results, allowing us to move forward with more simulations as well as PCB design.