MPPT-Based Charge Controller for Battery Fast Charging

Abstract

In solar PV system, there is no overcharging prevention when the batteries are linked to the PV modules without any intermediate circuits. To overcome this problem, charge controllers are used. The charge controller's primary function is to regulate the solar panel's output and also protects against overcharging and over discharging of the battery. The Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and the Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) charge controllers are the two main types of charge controllers. Between the solar panel and the battery, the PWM charge controller functions as a switch. In this type of controller, the current drawn from the panel is just above the voltage of the battery. The efficiency of the PWM controller is about 75 to 80%. To improve the charging efficiency, the MPPT charge controller is used instead of PWM charge controller. The MPPT charge controller draws current from the panel at its maximum power voltage, which is typically higher than the battery voltage. By converting all excess voltage to current, it is capable of extracting more electricity from the solar panel. As a result, the MPPT charge controller, which has an efficiency range of 94-99%, determines the maximum voltage and current of the solar panel at any given circumstance. For the design and implementation of the proposed method, the Perturb & Observe (P&O) MPPT algorithm was employed.