Series-parallel reconfiguration technique for supercapacitor eneryg storage systems

Supercapacitors (SCs) are promising energy storage devices not only for high-power applications but also as alternatives to secondary batteries. Since the energy density of the SCs is low and their voltage varies widely, their energy should be delivered to load efficiently over a wide voltage range. This paper proposes a novel SC reconfiguration technique by which SC module voltage is roughly regulated without using magnetic components. The operating principle and conditions are presented in detail. Experimental SC module charge/discharge tests using the proposed technique were performed to demonstrate its performance.