Real‐Time Implementation and Performance Analysis of Supercapacitor for Energy Storage

Abstract

Although battery technology is well established and frequently utilized, it has various drawbacks including weight, bulk, high internal resistance, low power density, and poor transient response. Supercapacitors (SCs), ultracapacitors, and electrostatic double layer capacitor (EDLC) are, on the other hand, a very promising energy storage device due to advancements in material and other technology. They have a higher transient response, higher power density, lighter weight, smaller volume, and lower internal resistance, which make them suitable for various applications. Supercapacitors take advantage of their high power density and can tolerate large currents in a short time. The application of supercapacitors in energy storage systems (ESS) can effectively reduce the peak current of batteries and extend their lifetime. In this chapter, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based modulation controller is implemented for a buck–boost converter, which helps to control the performance of the supercapacitor. Various modes of operation of the supercapacitors were tested under charging and discharging conditions at different duty cycles by using an FPGA-based modulation in a bidirectional converter in the developed hardware prototype.