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.
