Standalone – PV System with Battery as

Energy Storage

Submitted for the course EE348 – Design and Development

task in Power Electronics and Drives
By:
Kolluru Pavani – 16EE223
Engilela Sreelakshmi – 16EE112

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

KARNATAKA SURATHKAL, MANGALORE -575025
November, 2018
 APPENDIX A

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this project report entitled “Standalone – PV System with Battery
as Energy Storage” submitted to National Institute of Technology Karnataka, is a
bonafide record of work done by Kolluru Pavani and Engilela SreeLakshmi under my
supervision from August 2018 to November 2018

Signature of Supervisor

Place: Surathkal
th
Date: 8 November 2018
 APPENDIX B

Declaration by Author(s)

This is to declare that this report has been written by us. No part of the report is plagiarized
from other sources. All information included from other sources have been duly
acknowledged. We are aware that if any part of the report is found to be plagiarized, we are
shall take full responsibility for it.

Kolluru Pavani

16EE223

Engilela SreeLakshmi

16EE112

Place: Surathkal
th
Date: 8 November 2018
 CONTENTS

APPENDIX A Bonafide Certificate

APPENDIX B Declaration by Authors

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Literature Survey Overview

Introduction

Types of Renewable energy

Solar cell and Modeling

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)

Perturb and Observe Method

Buck Converter Design

PV System with Battery Storage using Bidirectional DC-DC Converter

Conclusions and Inferences

Bibliography
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost we would like to take this opportunity to Thank Prof. Panduranga Vittal K for mentoring us
through a Mini Project in the field of Power Electronics and Drives. We would also like to thank
Mrs. Ann Mary Joshua for her constant support and guidance. Her timely insights and extensive knowledge of
the subject were indispensable.

We would also like to make a special mention to all those researchers and institutes, whose papers we referred
to your research was extremely valuable and gave us an insight into the newest technologies being employed to
make our homes more smart and as a consequence, our environment more eco-friendly.

Finally, we thank the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at National Institute of Technology for
nurturing our research and academic skills with innovative and cutting edge projects.
 ABSTRACT

In this thesis the main focus is on using MPPT control of standalone-PV system with battery to supply
power to the DC loads. This implies battery is an energy storage element and it can be used as a power
source when PV is insufficient for the same. The system comprises of a battery, PV panel and a boost
converter circuit. The boost converter tracks the maximum power point (MPP) of the PV panel by
controlling the duty cycle and then it is given as a gate pulse to the boost converter. The function of
battery is to maintain a constant dc-link voltage. Perturbation and observation method is used as MPPT
(Maximum Power Point Tracking) control algorithm. MATLAB SIMULINK is used to create a simulation
model of the Standalone-PV system and then the output is verified.
Literature Survey Overview

The following are the resources that contributed heavily to our inspiration and guided us to the results
that we achieved.

a. The paper titled, Modeling of a maximum power point tracker for a stand-alone photovoltaic
system using MATLAB/Simulink lays down the various parameters that such a system typically
considers for its computation. The paper goes into meticulous detail about the implementation of
PV modules, about parameters related to the pv module.

b. The paper titled, Design and Simulation of a PV System with Battery Storage Using
Bidirectional DC-DC Converter Using Matlab Simulink addresses a better charging and
discharging mode of the batteries using Bidirectional DC-DC converter.

c. MPPT control of standalone -PV system with battery as an energy storage element offers a
design of algorithm for tracking the maximum voltage.

d. Design and modeling of Standalone Solar Photovoltaic Charging System offers a DC-DC
converter for step up or step down of output voltage of PV panel
 INTRODUCTION

Standalone-PV systems are generally used for isolated loads or household purposes. The increase in
power demand in the utility side with less harmonics and fluctuation are the major issues .The
conventional sources of energy have the probability to last for limited time but renewable sources of
energy like solar energy is infinite and also eco-friendly. With the increased efficiency of power
electronics devices we can use this solar energy to provide the power to the consumers. The only flaw of
solar energy is that the set-up required is quite expensive. The output power of PV depends on many
criteria’s like insulation and temperature. With variation in these two parameters the output is also
varied, which will thereby lead to fluctuation in the utility side, which is totally undesirable. So it is
important to have a control which will make our SOLAR-PANEL’s output totally independent of
weather conditions. Currently there are many algorithms like incremental inductance, perturbation and
observation, fuzzy logic etc. In this project we totally concentrate on the method of PERTURBATION
and OBSERVATION. This algorithm controls the duty cycle of boost converter and it is given as gate
pulse to the converter then. The battery used here is like an energy storage element. It not only maintains
dc link voltage across the capacitor constant but also supplies to the load during bad weather conditions
when PV is unable to generate the power required by the load. A standalone PV system has many
practical applications. For household purposes it can be used for any type of loads -- linear or nonlinear.
The simulation results show that STANDLONE-PV system can be efficiently used.
Types of Renewable Energy
There are different types of renewable energy resources such as
1. Solar energy

2. Wind energy
3. Hydro energy
4. Geothermal energy
5. Biomass

a. Solar energy
Solar energy is an important source of renewable energy. It is harnessed as heat and radiant light from
the sun. Solar thermal energy, used in space heating can be harnessed from solar energy. Solar energy
can also be converted to electrical energy which then can be used in a wide variety of applications. Even
though it has an additional cost of initial installation, the long term benefits are rewarding.
Implementation of solar energy is the huge step in mitigation of global warming. Solar energy in
particular has accelerated in its adoption by countries as a source of energy generation. It is increasingly
being adopted in order to balance climate changes.

b. Wind energy
Wind power is extracted from air flow by using wind turbines. Kinetic energy in the wind can be
converted into mechanical power which can then be converted into electrical energy. Wind turbines are
used to harness wind energy. Power output of a wind turbine is directly proportional to cube of wind
velocity.
Large wind farms hold hundreds of wind turbines which are then connected to the electrical network.
Wind power, somewhat reliable, is usually used in conjunction with other sources to give
uninterrupted supply. Wind energy is clean, widely distributed and pollution free.

c.Hydropower
Hydropower is a form of renewable energy contained in flowing water that can be captured and turned
into electricity. Hydropower is increasingly used in the field of irrigation. Water turbines convert the
potential energy of water into electrical energy which is then used. Up to 10MW, hydropower
installations are considered as renewable energy sources.
Hydroelectricity is generated by water; production of electrical power by using gravitational force of
water. The cost of hydroelectricity is comparatively low. It is conventionally produced from dams, but
can also be produced from tides and reservoirs.

d. Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy, a form of renewable energy is the thermal energy stored in the layers of the Earth.
There is a conduction of heat from the core to the surface of the earth due totemperature difference. The
heat is utilized to yield highly heated steam using it to run steam turbines to produce electricity. It is cost
effective, sustainable, renewable, ecologically non-damaging and reliable form of energy.

e. Biomass
Biomass is derived from plants and plant based materials and is a form of renewable energy source.
Biomass acts as a natural form of battery storing sun’s energy and yielding it whenever required. Wood
is the largest biomass energy source. Biomass is used for electricity generation

Solar Cell

A solar cell is an electrical device which converts incident light rays into electricity on the basis of
photovoltaic effect. Solar cells are used in building solar panels. Solar cells are considered as
photovoltaic even though the incident light may be sunlight or an artificial source.
Solar modules are made of semiconductor material. Silicon crystals are the mostly used semiconductor
crystal. Manufacturing of solar cells is done by the help of high purity silicon. Using melt and cast
method silicon crystals are processed into cells and then the cast is sliced into wafers from the ingots.
PV cell absorbs incident sunlight and creates electron hole pairs. Then separation of charge carriers
takes place and the carriers are separately extracted to external circuit.
A solar array generates solar power on the principle of photovoltaic effect. Solar cells can be connected
in series or in parallel decided by the voltage and current requirements. The photovoltaic modules have a
sheet of glass on the side that faces the sun so as to protect the wafers even while allowing light to pass
through.
The electrical energy produced from a solar panel is DC and can be used for DC loads or stored in a
battery to be used later. For homes that are connected to a utility grid, inverters can be used to convert
the DC to AC thereby running AC loads.
Modules can be connected or stringed together to make an array with a specific DC voltage and
current capacity, but MPPTs are preferred in order to obtain a higher value of efficiency.

Types of PV Panels

PV is not only used as standalone-systems but also in micro grids. PV panels can be differentiated on the
basis of their efficiency and the amount of space taken by them, i.e. installation size.
There are different types of PV panels available in the market such as

1. Monocrystalline Panels

2. Polycrystalline Panels

3. Hybrid Panels

a. Monocrystalline Panels
In this type, the cells are aligned in a particular direction, which means when the sun is incident on the
cells at the correct angle; they exhibit high efficiency and work best when sun directly shining on them.
b. Polycrystalline Panels
In these panels, the individual crystals are not all perfectly aligned together which reduces their
efficiency as compared to monocrystalline panel. However, this misalignment can be a benefitting factor
because the cells work better even when light is incident from other angles.

c. Hybrid Panels
The extra amorphous layer behind the monocrystalline cells is able to extract more energy from the
incident sunlight, especially under low light conditions. They have the highest efficiency and take up
less space. These, however are more expensive than monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels.

SOLAR CELL MODELLING

An ideal solar cell can be modeled as a current source parallel connected across a diode

Fig 1: Circuit diagram of PV cell

The current- voltage characteristic equation of a solar cell referred to in Fig.1 is given as-

I = n(ph)*I(ph) – n(p)I(sc)[ exp((q/AKT)*(v/(n(s)+IR(s)))-1]

The photocurrent depends on the solar insulation and cell’s working temperature, is given as-

I(ph) = [(I(sc)+K(i)*(T – T(r)))*s/1000]

The cell’s saturation current changes with the cell temperature and is given as

I(sc) = I(rsc)*[T/T(r)]^3(exp(qE/KA)*(1/T(r)-1/T))

Where I = output current

V =voltage of the PV array
Np = number of cells connected in parallel
Ns = number of cells connected in series
S =solar irradiation level
T = temperature
a. With Change in irradiance b. With Change in temperature

Fig 2: Power vs. Voltage graph of PV panel

a. With Change in irradiance

b. With Change in temperature

Fig 3: Current vs. Voltage graph of PV panel

Fig 4: Voltage vs. Time graph of PV panel Fig 5: Current vs. Time graph of PV panel

The output characteristics of PV System are non-linear and it changes with IRRADIANCE and
TEMPERATURE. When these two factors vary, MPP point varies accordingly. With increase in irradiance
the MPP shifts to right. For higher magnitude of voltage we get the maximum power. In Fig.3 Current Vs
Voltage graph is shown. With increase in irradiance the MPP voltage increases and thereby the maximum
current also increases. For the irradiance level above 300W/m2 the MPP is almost constant.
TABLE 1:
Table 1 shows the different parameters of PV cell along with their symbols and values .

Symbol Description Value

I(ph) Photocurrent

I(sc) Module reverse saturation current

q Electron charge 1.602 × 10−19 C

A Ideality factor 1.60

K Boltzmann constant 1.38 × 10−23 J/K

R(s) Small series resistance

I(sc) Short-circuit current 3.27 A

T(r) Reference temperature 301.19 K

I(rsc) Tr Reverse saturation current

2.079e-6 A
No. of cells
N(p) connected in parallel

No. of series
N(s) connected cells

Solar radiation 0~1000 W/m2

S
PV module Surface temperature 400 K
T
MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKING (MPPT)
Normally a solar panel is able to convert only 30-40% of the total incident solar irradiation into
electrical energy. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is used to improve the efficiency of a
particular solar panel.
Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is an algorithm that is used to extract maximum power from
PV under specific conditions. Maximum power of a PV panel depends on factors such as solar
irradiation, ambient temperature and cell temperature.
Normally a PV module produces maximum power voltage at cell temperature of 25°C. However
depending on outside temperature it can fall or rise.
MPPT checks the output of a particular PV panel and after comparing it with battery voltage decides the
most efficient voltage i.e. maximum power point voltage.
The purpose of a MPPT system is applying proper resistance after sampling output of PV cell in order to
obtain maximum power.
MPPT is most effective in cooler conditions because PV module works better at cold temperatures. It is
also very effective when the battery is deeply discharged because more current can be extracted under
low charge conditions.
MPPT devices are integrated with power electronics creating an electric power converter system in
form of solar inverters which convert DC power to AC power.

MPPT Techniques
There are different techniques used to track the maximum power point such as:
1. Perturb and observe (hill climbing method)

2. Incremental Conductance method

3. Current sweep

4. Constant voltage

5. Fuzzy Logic Control

6. Neural network
Fig 6: MPPT schematic block diagram
1. Perturb and observe (hill climbing method)
Perturb and observe is one of the simplest methods due to its lower value of time complexity. This
method uses one voltage sensor which senses the PV voltage and measures power. If power increases,
the algorithm is designed to achieve constant power. However, this method can result in oscillations of
power output because the algorithm continues to perturb recursively even after reaching MPP. This can
be solve by setting an error limit to end the recursion.
It is easy to implement and is known as hill climbing method because it depends on the rise and fall of
power vs. voltage curve with respect to maximum power point.
2. Incremental conductance
In this particular method, the controller measures incremental changes in voltage and current in the
incremental conductance method. Even though it takes more number of computations it is better at
tracking changes than perturb and observe method.
Maximum power point is calculated by comparing incremental conductance (IΔ / VΔ) with PV array
conductance (I / V). The output voltage is the voltage at which both ratios, i.e. conductance are same. The
voltage is maintained till there are changes in irradiation levels upon which the process is repeated.
Here both voltage and current are sensed simultaneously, therefore change due to irradiance does not
cause in error. This method however is more complicated than perturb and observe method.

3. Current sweep
This method helps in obtaining I-V characteristics by using a sweep waveform of the PV array current
which is updated at fixed intervals of time. MPP is calculated from the curve at the same intervals of
time.

4. Constant voltage
In this method the operating point of PV array is maintained near Maximum Power Point. The PV array
voltage is matched to a fixed reference voltage which is chosen to give optimal performance.

5. Fuzzy Logic Control

Fuzzy logic is also used for implementing MPPT by the use of microcontrollers. Fuzzy logic controllers
are not restricted with the need of accurate models. They have a distinct advantage of handling non
linearity and imprecise inputs and have a fast rate of convergence.
A fuzzy control system operates on the principle of fuzzy logic. It studies analog input values in context
of logical variables having continuous values between zero and one.

6. Neural Network
Neural networks are also used for implementing MPPT and they are also suitable for microcontrollers.
They are a family of statistical learning algorithms used in estimation of approximate functions. They
have three layers: input, output and hidden layers which have user dependent nodes whose number can
be changed.
Input variables such as open circuit voltage and short circuit current; temperature and solar irradiation
can be used to find outputs such as duty cycle signal which in turn can be used to find maximum power
point and make the converter operate around the point.
Algorithm of Perturbation and Observation
NOTE: The change of duty cycle has to be done in the direction of MPP.

Fig 7: Flowchart of Perturbation and Observation method

• STEP-1:
Initialize initial value, maximum value, minimum value of duty cycle and also the increment value to
increase/decrease the duty cycle.
• STEP-2:
If rate of change in power and rate of change in voltage both are negative, then duty cycle has to be
decreased else if rate of change in voltage is positive, then duty cycle has to be increased.
• STEP-3:
If rate of change in power is positive but rate of change in voltage is negative, then duty cycle has to be
increased else if rate of change in voltage is positive, duty cycle has to be decreased.
• STEP-4:
If the duty cycle value exceeds the maximum initialized value or is lesser than the minimum initialized
value, then the duty cycle value must not be changed and it must be same as the previous value.
• STEP-5:
The first four steps should be repeated that means should be in for or while loop until Maximum Power
point is reached
Buck Converter Design

A buck converter is a kind of DC-DC converter. It steps down the level of high voltage to another voltage
level. Here the buck converter used is a type of synchronous buck converter. The main difference here is
that instead of diode, we use two MOSFETs. The advantage is that we can control the switching of MOSFETs
but not the diodes and also forward voltage drop in diode is more thus losses will be more which thereby
reduces the efficiency. The inductor used reduces the ripples in current.

Fig 8: Synchronous Buck Converter

Fig 9: Mathematical model of Buck Converter

Mathematical modeling of circuit has total control over the simulation process that gives a smaller
execution time. On the other hand it takes long time for the initial setup as the user has to develop all
possible composition of differential and algebraic equations that results in troubleshooting and
debugging of codes developed with the mathematical models but for circuit modeling setup time is small
in the beginning and the changes can be made easily .On the other side, it has little control on the
simulation process that results in long simulation time. In comparison of all models, mathematical
circuitry technique has a total control over the model and there is no limitation about the model and on
the other hand it is difficult to implement the hardware, in addition to this it is difficult to model non-
ideal model but most important thing is it is restricted to time domain analysis only. When it comes to
transfer function technique it is not difficult to simulate and implement and very important thing is that
here both time domain and frequency domain analysis can be made so here because of frequency
domain modeling system can be studied with respect to its stability analysis and hence the performance
of the system can be estimated so that is the advantage of this modeling technique. On the other hand it
is applicable only for single input and single output model and also it is difficult for nonideal model and
it requires supplementary tool box for text programming. When it comes to state-space modeling it is
exactly same as transfer function modeling with respect to pros and cons, however state space modeling
allows to model the system with multiple input and multiple output.

Working Principle
The following diagram shows the working operation of the buck converter. In the buck converter first
transistor is turned ON and second transistor is switched OFF due to high square wave frequency. If the
gate terminal of the first transistor is more than the current pass through the magnetic field, charging C,
and it supplies the load. The D1 is the Schottky diode and it is turned OFF due to the positive voltage to
the cathode.

Fig 10: Buck Converter Working

The inductor L is the initial source of current. If the first transistor is OFF by using the control unit then
the current flow in the buck operation. The magnetic field of the inductor is collapsed and the back e.m.f
is generated collapsing field turn around the polarity of the voltage across the inductor. The current
flows in the diode D2, the load and the D1 diode will be turned ON.

The discharge of the inductor L decreases with the help of the current. During the first transistor is in
one state the charge of the accumulator in the capacitor. The current flows through the load and during
the off period keeping Vout reasonably. Hence it keeps the minimum ripple amplitude and Vout closes
to the value of Vs
 Fig 11: The two circuit configurations of a buck converter: on-state, when the switch is closed; and off-
state, when the switch is open

Fig 12: Evolution of the voltages and currents with time in an ideal buck converter operating in continuous mode.
PV System with Battery Storage using Bidirectional DC-DC Converter
Bidirectional DC–DC converters are used to perform the process of power transfer between two dc
sources in either direction. They are widely used in various applications. A bidirectional DC-DC
converter is an important part of standalone solar Photovoltaic systems for interfacing the battery storage
system. The circuit is operated in such a way that one switch, one coupled inductor and three diodes are
used for step-up operation to boost the voltage of the battery to match the high voltage dc bus. The other
switch, remaining diode and simple inductor are used for step down operation to charge the battery from
the surplus PV energy. The high efficiency of the converter is achieved by optimizing components used
for each step. The bidirectional DC-DC converter with high power rate plays a key role in power storage
system, while it converts DC voltage or DC current for the power storage battery. The Bidirectional DC-
DC converter operates either as a buck or as boost converter at any instance. It works as a buck
converter for charging the battery whereas it operates as a boost converter while the battery discharges
power to the load.

Fig 13: Circuit diagram of Photovoltaic system with Battery storage using bidirectional DC-DC converter
It can be seen that the PV voltage source has immediately next to it a buck converter stage powered by
MPPT controller which will step up the PV voltage to the desired DC bus voltage extracting maximum
power from the PV system at every instance of operation. It is then followed by couple of IGBTs and a
battery acting as a secondary source. The Bidirectional DC-DC converter operation is carried out
through these two IGBTs which are controlled by two different controllers. One controller provides the
control signal for Boost operation and the other provides the control signal for Buck operation. It
operates as a buck converter for charging the battery through the switching actions performed by the
switch S3. On the other hand it‘s operation as a boost converter is dictated by the switching actions of
the switch S2.

Operating Modes
The Photovoltaic system with Battery storage shown in Fig.13 has four different operating modes based
the amount of power supplied by the PV panels which depends on the irradiance and temperature.

Mode 1 : The first operating mode is triggered when the power generated by the PV system is less than
the power demanded by the load which can be a simple resistive load or three phase load or grid (i.e.
PPV < Pload) and the battery system is also deeply discharged then the whole system is shut down.

Mode 2: The second operating mode is activated when PPV < Pload but the battery is charged and is
also able to provide power. At this point of operation the battery provides backup power along with the
PV power as long as the battery is not fully discharged. The PV panels power the load as much as
possible with the MPPT algorithm enabled. Whereas the battery provides complementary power through
operating in boost mode of operation of the bidirectional buck/boost converter.

Mode 3: When PPV > Pload and the battery is not in a fully charged state then this mode is activated.
During this mode of operation the PV panels not only supply power to the load under maximum power
point enabled control but also the excess power produced by the PV panels are used to charge the
battery. During this mode the battery is charged through the buck mode of operation of the bidirectional
buck/boost converter.

Mode 4: In this mode of operation PPV > Pload and the battery is also fully charged. During this mode
the PV panels supply power to the load under maximum power point enabled control and it is also
ensured that the batteries remain in fully charged state through constant voltage charging so that the
battery does not have any kind of self-discharge.
Fig 14: Flowchart of different operating modes of Photovoltaic system with Battery Storage.

Simulation
A simulation of the given project was run on Matlab.

The load we considered for our project is 50(ohms).

Number of modules in series of a PV Panel = 4

Number of modules in parallel of a PV Panel = 1

The open circuit voltage of a PV Panel = 110v

The short circuit current of a PV Panel =2.8A

The output voltage of load = 98v

The output power of load =300W

 Fig15: Simulation model of Standalone Solar PV Model with Buck Converter

Result
The simulation part was success till load part. The power obtained at load will be of DC nature.

CONCLUSIONS
A Stand-alone Photovoltaic System for residential applications is modelled with the help of
MATLAB/Simulink. Control schemes and mathematical models containing MPPT control (method of
perturbation and observation) are provided for the buck converter. Control methods are employed and
verified for the optimum working of the specified model. Simulation results prove that the buck
converter successfully tracks the maximum power point (MPP) of the solar panel and battery is charged
accordingly. In the simulation we just used buck converter to track MPPT. So solar charge controller
helps not only in obtaining MPP but also in maintaining state of charge of battery. Battery plays here
two roles. One is it acts as a load and other is it acts as an energy storage element. In simulation we took
4 cells in series and 1 cell in parallel. The results ensure an optimum and efficient model for reliable and
high quality stand-alone PV system.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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2. Geoff Walker, “Evaluating MPPT converter topologies using a matlab PV model,” IEAust, Vol. 21,
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3. Coupti J. B., Lorenzo E., Chenlo F., A general battery model for PV system simulation, Progress in
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4. Ross J. N., Markvart T., He W., Modelling battery-charge regulation for a stand-alone photovoltaic
system, Solar Energy, 2000, 69, p. 181-190.

5. Kuo Y.-C., Liang T.-J., Chen J.-F., Novel maximum power point tracking controller for photovoltaic
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