Abstract

Even in the best operating conditions, Lead-Acid batteries typically last for 1000 charging-discharging cycles. There is a gradual degradation characterized by increased charging time and decreased discharging time. This leads to frequent replacement of batteries, which is cost-inefficient and exacerbates the issues arising from improper disposal and recycling including pollution and health hazards. In this paper, we propose a solar-powered Lead-Acid battery charger that uses an inductor-less maximum power point tracker (MPPT) charge controller (the output of which is controlled by a discharging pulse), for prolonging the life of the battery. We designed a graded control algorithm to maximize the power obtained from the Photovoltaic (PV) panel and modulate the width of the charging pulse. We present the simulation and results of the experiment. Improved battery life has utility in light electric vehicles, electric wheelchairs, airport utility vehicles, medical devices as well as renewable power stations where batteries are used for energy storage.

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