Simulation and implementation of solar power battery charger using Perturb & Observe algorithm

As solar energy is a renewable energy that has the capacity to lessen the energy crisis in the world, so there is a strong need to harvest and utilize this energy. Solar power is readily available in the regions like UAE, South Asia, etc. so there is a strong need to implement solar power harvesting techniques to lower the energy crisis. This paper describes the simulation and implementation of a solar energy based MPPT battery charger. The proposed design uses a microcontroller (Arduino Mega 2560 based upon ATmega2560) that works on feedback from a PV panel and voltage of a battery, which is to be charged, and controls the operation of a buck-boost DC-DC converter in order to draw maximum power from the PV panel. Perturb and Observe algorithm is used to operate the circuit at maximum power point irrespective of the present humidity, temperature and irradiance conditions of the PV panel. The battery is used to store the solar power so as to get energy when required and as per use i.e. if AC, then an inverter can be connected after the battery and if DC, then a DC-DC converter can be used according to need. The proposed design is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink and implemented on hardware.