MPPT Solar and Wind Power Boost Charge

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This circuit matches a low voltage solar or wind turbine input to a higher voltage battery. An analogue circuit will
measure incoming current and voltage inputs to set the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and boost the
output voltage up to charge a higher, or equal voltage, battery. Input voltage range: 9v through 60v. Output battery
voltages: 9v through 60v. MPPT will work only if the battery is higher than the input source. Otherwise, the circuit
will act like a direct connection, source to output. It is based on the LTC3703 boost converter IC.
http://vimeo.com/tag:ltc3703
I still have more testing to do. Later, I think I will sell my nine extra boards with one LTC3703 soldered in place,
for $59.95US if you want to try the circuit. After they are gone, I might release the board layout diagram, which is
critical to success. I burned up a lot of parts with spikes, before succeeding.
It is 9v through 60v MPPT boost to a 48v nominal lead-acid battery. It needs more testing after I attach a wind
turbine. Otherwise, it seems to work, so far. How much power can it handle? I am not sure yet. I think 500 watts
minimum and maybe 1K watts with more copper over the traces.
This circuit is an analogue computer, when run without a microprocessor. As rpm voltage rises, current is allowed
to rise proportionally. The variable loading math is P = I(V-offset) and (V-offset)/I = R (like a fixed resistor load)
and I x constant = V. The op amp pegs I equal to V. It is suitable for solar. Wind is a cubed relation, not squared
extraction, like this analogue calculation will yield in wind; eg. 2I and 2V = 4P. So, it will likely need the
microprocessor for optimizing wind MPPT, but without a microprocessor will be interesting. It will be better than
feeding my very high voltage battery, directly because my generator rarely gets above threshold volts, which is
48v to 59v, depending on how full. So it needs a boost converter. It is doing integration math, via the op amp. I
added a pin header for optional microprocessor control, which I have not tested, yet.

Page 1: Input from 3 Phase and powering ICs.

Temporary list (I'll source them from digikey.com with their part numbers later)

Variana 2

Simple Solar MPPT Circuit Using IC555 - PWM Maximum Power Point Tracker
Posted by Swagatam Majumdar
A simple yet effective solar panel MPPT charger circuit can be built using a couple of 555 ICs and a
few other linear components. Let's learn the procedures.
An MPPT or Maximum Power Point Tracker for solar panels is a method which enables deriving
maximum available current from a solar panel throughout the day without disturbing its specified
voltage, thus allowing greatest efficiency from the panel.
As we all know, acquiring highest efficiency from any form of power supply becomes feasible if the
procedure doesn't involve shunting the power supply voltage, meaning we want to acquire the
particular required lower level of voltage, and maximum current for the load which is being
operated without disturbing the source voltage level, and without generating heat.
Briefly, a concerned MPPT should allow its output with maximum required current, any lower level
of required voltage yet making sure the voltage level across the panel stays unaffected.
One method which is discussed here involves PWM technique which may be considered one of the
optimal methods to date.
We should be thankful to this little genius called the IC 555 which makes all difficult concepts look

so easy.
In this concept too we incorporate, and heavily depend on a couple of IC 555s for implementing the
MPPT effect.
Looking at the given solar mppt circuit using IC555 we see that the entire design is basically
divided into two stages.
The upper voltage regulator stage and the lower PWM generator stage.
The upper stage consists of a p-channel mosfet which is positioned as a switch and responds to the
applied PWM info at its gate.
The lower stage is a PWM generator stage. A couple of 555 ICs are configured for the proposed
actions.
IC1 is responsible for producing the required square waves which is processed by the constant
current triangle wave generator comprising T1 and the associated components.
This triangular wave is applied to IC2 for processing into the required PWMs.
However the PWM spacing from IC2 depends on the voltage level at its pin#5, which is derived
from a resistive network across the panel via the 1K resistor and the 10K preset.
The voltage between this network is directly proportional to the varying panel volts.
During peak voltages the PWMs become wider and vice versa.
The above PWMs are applied to the mosfet gate which conducts and provides the required voltage
to the connected battery.
As discussed previously, during peak sunshine the panel generates higher level of voltage, higher
voltage means IC2 generating wider PWMs, which in turn keeps the mosfe switched OFF for longer
periods or switched ON for relatively shorter periods, corresponding to an average voltage value
that might be just around 14.4V across the battery terminals.

When the sun shine deteriorates, the PWMs get proportionately narrowly spaced allowing the
mosfet to conduct more so that the average current and voltage across the battery tends to remain
at the optimal values.
The 10K preset should be adjusted for getting around 14.4V across the output terminals under
bright sunshine.
The results may be monitored under different sun light conditions.
The proposed MPPT circuit ensures a stable charging of the battery, without affecting or shunting
the panel voltage which also results in lower heat generation.
Note: The connected soar panel should be able to generate 50% more voltage than the connected
battery at peak sunshine. The current should be 1/5th of the battery AH rating.

Note: The input from the solar panel which connects

with pin5 of IC2 must be fed via a BJT stage (wired as
common collector), it should be done in the following
manner.
Solar feedback input at pin5 of IC2 is disconnected
and connected with the base of a BC547 transistor,
collector of this transistor is connected with the
supply pins of the ICs (pin4/8), while the emitter is
joined with pin5 of IC2.
The above is necessary because pin5 of IC555 needs
relatively more current to respond, and may not work
satisfactorily if the input lacks sufficient current.

How to Set up the Circuit

It may be done in the following manner:
Initially keep S1 switched OFF.
Expose the panel to peak sunshine, and adjust the preset to get the required optimal charging

voltage across the mosfet drain diode output and ground.

The circuit is all set now.
Once this is done, switch ON S1, the battery will start getting charged in the MPPT mode.
Adding a Current Control Feature
A careful investigation of the above circuit shows that as the mosfet tries to compensate the falling
panel voltage level, it allows the battery to draw more current from the panel, which affects the
panel voltage dropping it further down inducing a run-away situation, this may be completely
against the MPPT law.
A current control feature as shown in the following diagram takes care of this problem and prohibits
the battery from drawing excessive current beyond the specified limits. This in turn helps to keep
the panel voltage unaffected.
RX which is the current limiting resistor can be calculated with the help of the following formula:
RX = 0.6/I, where I is the specified minimum charging current for the connected battery

A crude but simpler version of the above explained design may be built as suggested by Mr.
Dhyaksa using pin2 and pin6 threshold detection of the IC555, the entire diagram may be
witnessed below:

I/V Tracker Circuit for Solar MPPT Applications

Posted by Swagatam Majumdar
Optimizing power by tracking is the key feature which makes solar MPPT concept so unique and
efficient, where the complex and non-linear I/V curve of the solar panel is tracked and switched for
creating maximum optimal conditions for the connected load.
So far I have tried to present a number of different solar MPPT simulator circuits, however these
have been just ordinary solar optimizer kind of designs, and not actually a solar MPPT because
these circuits never involved the tracking of the I/V curve or the optimum "knee" of the curve. You
may want to have a look at these circuits, as given below:
Poor mans MPPT
PWM based MPPT Simulator
Incremental Conductance MPPT Simulator
I have been trying hard to design something that would in true sense track the I/V curve or the
power curve of the panel, and correct it automatically whenever it drifts from the optimal points.
The proposed design is based on the same grounds, but here I have included only the I (current)
tracking stage in order to keep things simple.
Actually it's the current that really matters and is directly proportional to power of the panel so I
thought keeping this parameter in control could fulfill the job.
Let's try to understand the design with the following observations:
Looking at the proposed solar MPPT I/V curve tracker circuit diagram, the BC547 at the extreme
right along with the 10k resistor and 1uF capacitor forms a linear ramp generator.
The central stage comprising the two 555 ICs form a variable PWM controlled output generator,
while the IC 741 stage becomes the actual current tracker stage.
When the voltage from the solar panel connects across the BC547 collector and ground, due to the
presence of the base 10k/1uf network, the emitter follower provides a gently rising voltage to the
555 PWM generator stage.
The ramp activates IC2 and forces it to generate a correspondingly rising PWM output at its pin#3
which goes to the gate of the driver mosfet.
The mosfet responds to these pulses and gradually increases its conduction and provides current to

the battery in the same incremental order.

As soon as the current intake across the battery begins rising, an equivalent voltage level is
translated across the current sensing resistor Rx which gets applied a pin#3 of the 741 IC.
The above potential also hits pin#2 of 741 via the dropping 1N4148 diode so that pin#2 follows
this potential in tandem with pin#3 but lags behind by about 0.6V due to the presence of the series
diode.
The above condition allows the opamp to begin with a high output which keeps the diodes at its
pin#6 reverse biased.
As long as the current keeps climbing with the ramp, opamp pin#3 continues to be higher than
pin#2, thus keeping the output higher.
However at some point of time, which might be after the I/V curve has just crossed, the current
output from the panel starts dropping or rather drops abruptly across Rx.
This is sensed by pin#3 immediately, however due to the presence of the 33u capacitor, pin#2 is
unable to sense and follow this drop in potential.
The above situation instantly forces the pin#3 voltage to become lower than pin#2, which in turn
reverts the output of the IC to zero, forward biasing the connected diode.
The base of the ramp generator BC547 is dragged to zero forcing it to switch OFF, and reset the
whole procedure back to the original state. The process now begins afresh.
The above procedure continues and ensures that the current is never allowed to fall or cross the
inefficient region of the I/V curve.
This is just an assumption, a concept which I have tried to implement, it might require a lot many
tweaking and alignments before it can become truly result oriented.
The output from the mosfet may be integrated with an SMPS based converter for even higher
efficiency.

DIY MPPT Solar Charge Controller

MPPT Block Diagram

The holy grail of solar charge controllers is the maximum power point tracker (MPPT). How easy would it be
to design one thats both cheap and efficient?
The PWM controller is pretty much finished now, so well use it as a building block and add on MPPT
functionality. The sketch shows a few components added to the PWM controller block diagram; a capacitor across
the solar panel input, an inductor in line with the battery connection and a Schottky diode to ground.
These additional components would have very little effect at the PWM controllers switching frequency of around
100Hz, but increase that frequency into the tens of kiloHertz range and the circuit would start to behave as a
switched-mode DC-DC buck converter. It should be possible to hold the solar panel input at a different voltage to
the battery output.
What about maximum power? How do we measure both the voltage and current from the solar panel. Well, we
dont. We just assume that at maximum solar panel power, well get maximum charge current flowing into the
battery. Well simply look for maximum battery voltage as we tinker with the PWM duty cycle (otherwise known
as peturb and observe).
Just one caveat. I have absolutely no idea if this will work, but Im keen to give it a try!