Maximum Power Point Tracking in Energy Harvesting for Solar PV System

Jun Boon Lai; Warsuzarina  Mat Jubadi

doi:10.37934/araset.60.1.202211

Authors

Jun Boon Lai Department of Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
Warsuzarina Mat Jubadi Department of Electronic Engineering and VLSI Design and Embedded System Technology (VEST) Group, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37934/araset.60.1.202211

Keywords:

Photovoltaic system, maximum power point tracking, INC maximum power point algorithm, energy harvesting, mobile device

Abstract

Nowadays, the photovoltaic (PV) cell is widely recognized as a crucial component in the field of electricity. It plays a significant role in converting solar irradiance from sunlight directly into electrical energy. However, the shorter battery life of mobile devices poses a significant challenge. A maximum power point tracking circuit is needed for maximizing the energy extracted from the PV energy harvester by enabling the operating point of the PV cells to track the maximum power point and recharge the battery. This project proposed an implementation of maximum power point tracking in energy harvesting for solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The output current requires 0.5 A to 2.4 A current range which is suitable for charging mobile devices, with the voltage range between 4.5 V to 5 V. The tracking efficiency of the designed Incremental Conductance Maximum Power Point Tracking (INC MPPT) algorithm is in the range of 80 % to 95 %. In the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm, the duty cycle is adjusted to optimize the power transfer between a solar panel and a load. The contribution of this developed MPPT algorithm is low cost, acceptable reliability, and easy implementation.