Performance of ACO-MPPT and Constant Voltage Method for Street Lighting Charging System

Abstract

Electricity consumption continues to increase every year. Alternative energy source such as solar panel have been easily developed and do not cause pollution. By utilizing the sun's rays on its surface, solar panels can produce electricity depending on the level of surface temperature and the conditions of the intensity of solar radiation. Most street lighting electrical systems with conventional solar panels have minimal output power due to not having the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) function. In addition, the absence of a charging function results in an uncontrolled voltage magnitude affecting the parameters of electrical energy (accumulators), especially when the accumulator's State of Charge (SOC) approaches the full charging limit. Therefore, a system of street lighting is used which is capable of carrying out MPPT functions and charging functions with an electrical system that uses a CUK type DC-DC Converter. Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm as MPPT control, and the Constant Voltage (CV) method as charging control with measurements, SOC uses the coulomb counting method. The performance has proven to optimize a 200 Watt-peak solar panel power output up to 18.92 Watts, maintain a voltage value with a maximum error difference of 2% only, which can read the battery SOC accurately.