DEVELOPMENTOF PROTOTYPE OFMPPT BASED CHARGE CONTROLLER FOR E-RICKSHAWS

Abstract

This project aims to develop a MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) based charge controller for charging batteries of E-Rickshaws. PV array has non-linear I-V characteristic and output power depends on environmental conditions such as solar irradiation and temperature. There is a unique point on I-V, P-V characteristic curve of PV array, the Maximum Power Point (MPP), where the PV system produces its maximum output power. Location of MPP changes with change in environmental condition. The purpose of MPPT based charge controller is to adjust the operating voltage of the solar panel close to MPP dynamically under changing environmental conditions. Two MPPT algorithms namely the P&O (Perturb and Observe) method and the Incremental Conductance method are implemented. The developed algorithm performs a wide-range search in order to detect rapidly changing weather conditions, and keeps the system continuously operating close to the MPP. The motivation behind this project is to contribute to power for charging of batteries of E-Rickshaws to reduce the dependency for charging on electricity. This solution is cost-effective and will not emit any air pollutants.