scholarly journals SPICE Model Identification Technique of a Cheap Thermoelectric Cell Applied to DC/DC Design with MPPT Algorithm for Low-Cost, Low-Power Energy Harvesting

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (18) ◽  
pp. 3744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leoni ◽  
Pantoli
Keyword(s):  
Low Power ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Model Identification ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Spice Model ◽  
Identification Technique

In this work, an identification technique of a simple, measurements-based SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) model is presented for small low-cost Peltier cells used in thermoelectric generator (TEG) mode for low-temperature differences. The collection of electric energy from thermal sources is an alternative solution of great interests to the problem of energy supply for low-power portable devices. However, materials with thermoelectric characteristics specifically designed for this purpose are generally expensive and therefore often not usable for low cost and low power applications. For these reasons, in this paper, we studied the possibility of exploiting small Peltier cells in TEG mode and a method to maximize the efficiency of these objects in energy conversion and storage since they are economical, easy to use, and available with different characteristics on the market. The identification of an accurate model is a key aspect for the design of the DC/DC converter, in order to guarantee maximum efficiency. For this purpose, the SPICE model has been validated and used in a design example of a DC/DC converter with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm with fractional open-circuit voltage. The results showed that it is possible to obtain a maximum power of 309 µW with a Peltier cell 2 × 2 cm at a ΔT of 16 °C and the designed SPICE DC/DC converter performance proved the improvement and optimization value given by the TEG model identification.

scholarly journals Low-Cost Piezoelectric Sensor Characterization for Energy Harvesting Applications

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Paulo Afonso Ferreira Junior ◽  
Fernando de Souza Campos ◽  
Bruno Albuquerque de Castro ◽  
José Alfredo Covolan Ulson ◽  
Fabrício Guimarães Baptista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Piezoelectric Sensor ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Piezoelectric Transducers ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Sensor Nodes ◽  
Resistive Load

Energy harvesting engineering fields constitutes a promising area to provide electrical power for low-power electric applications obtained from other sources of energy available in the environment such as thermal, electromagnetic, vibrational and acoustic by using transducers. Vibrational sources stand out as a main alternative to be used for generating electric power in sensor nodes in microelectronic devices due to the greater energy conversion efficiency and the use of a simple structure. The cantilever is the main system implemented in studies of obtaining electric energy from vibrations using piezoelectric transducers. Most of piezoelectric transducers in the literature are not yet commercially available and/or are difficult to access for purchase and use. This paper proposes the characterization of low-cost piezoelectric transducers, configured as sensors, for Energy Harvesting applications using three different sizes of circular piezoelectric transducers (PZTs.) with diameters of 3.4 cm, 2.6 cm and 1.5 cm. For all three different PZTs, it was found that the maximum power transfer occurs for a resistive load of 82 kΏ. The maximum power generated in the load for the three PZTs was 40 uW, 14 uW and 1.4 W; with RMS voltages of 2.8 V, 2.10 V and 0.6 V; an acceleration of 1.3 g and a vibration frequency approximate of 7 Hz.

scholarly journals Maximum power point tracking in photovoltaic systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 01021
Author(s):  
Grażyna Frydrychowicz-Jastrzębska
Keyword(s):  
Block Diagram ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Maximum Power Point ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point

The subject of the analysis was the optimisation of interoperation between the photovoltaic battery (PV) and DC motor, which drives a fan, with respect to the maximum efficiency of conversion of the electric energy into mechanical energy. Based on the block diagram, a mathematical model of this circuit was developed to ensure the mutual matching between the Maximum Power Point (MPP) of the battery and the receiver operation point. A computer simulation of the battery characteristics was conducted taking into account the changing MPP location on the characteristic vs. changes in solar radiation and temperature. The issue was considered for the optimal motor excitation coefficient, both changing and averaged in time. The energy conversion efficiency was determined for selected PV modules, as well as time.

scholarly journals Betavoltaic performance under extreme temperatures

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Adams ◽  
Shripad Revankar ◽  
Peter Cabauy ◽  
Bret Elkind ◽  
Darrell Cheu
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Wide Temperature Range ◽  
Open Circuit Voltage ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Electrical Performance ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Ultra Low Power ◽  
Temperature Range

Longevity of sensors and portable devices is severely limited by temperature, chemical instability, and electrolyte leakage issues associated with conventional electrochemical batteries. Betavoltaics, which operate similar to photo voltaics, can operate in a wide temperature range safely without permanent degradation. Though not a new concept, which began in the 1950's and peaked in the mid 1970's, research has been minimal and sporadic until recent advancements in ultra-low power electronics and materialization of low power applications. The technology is rapidly maturing, generating research, and development in increasing the beta emitting source and semiconductor efficiencies. This study presents an update on betavoltaic technology, results from temperature evaluation on commercially available General Licensed betavoltaic cells, development of a hybrid system for latent and burst power, modeling and simulation techniques and results, and current and proposed research and development. Betavoltaic performance was successfully demonstrated for a wide temperature range (-30?C to 70?C). Short circuit current and open circuit voltage were used to compare electrical performance. Results indicate that the open-circuit voltage and maximum power decreased as temperature increased due to increases in the semiconductor's intrinsic carrier concentration.

scholarly journals Characterization of electric faults in photovoltaic array systems

DYNA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (211) ◽  
pp. 54-63
Author(s):  
Andres Eduardo Nieto Vallejo ◽  
Fredy Ruiz ◽  
Diego Patiño
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Equivalent Circuits ◽  
Pv Systems ◽  
Photovoltaic Array

Electric faults in photovoltaic (PV) systems cause negative economic and safety impacts, reducing their performance and causing unwanted electric connections that can be dangerous for the user. Line to line, ground and open circuit faults, are three of the main faults that happen in a photovoltaic array system. This work proposes a characterization of the equivalent circuits and the voltage-power (VP) curves at the output of multiple PV arrays under different topological configurations and fault conditions to evaluate the effects of these three main faults on the performance of a photovoltaic array system, taking into account the temperature and solar radiation influence. This work presents a validation of the characterization by measuring the output VP curves of a low-power photovoltaic array system under real outdoors conditions. This method can be useful in future works to develop low cost systems capable of detecting and classifying electric faults in photovoltaic array systems.

An Improved Constant Voltage Based MPPT Technique for PMDC Motor

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Asim ◽  
Mohd Tariq ◽  
M.A. Mallick ◽  
Imtiaz Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Constant Voltage ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Simulink Simulation ◽  
Current Voltage ◽  
Promising Solution ◽  
Power Point

Stand-alone photovoltaic (SAPV) systems are being used in remote areas and are being seen as one of the promising solution in this regard. The SAPV system as presented in the paper consists of solar PV panel, a DC-DC converter, a controller and a PMDC motor. The current-voltage and power-voltage characteristics being nonlinear, the SAPV system require maximum power point techniques (MPPT) control techniques to extract maximum power available from the PV cell. A voltage based MPPT technique which is capable of tracking MPP has been selected because of numerous advantages it offers such as: simple and low cost of implementation. The limitation of constant voltage method is that its efficiency is low as the PV panel has to be disconnected from the load for measurement of the open circuit voltage (V<sub>oc</sub>). In the presented paper, the authors have removed this limitation by using a pilot PV panel for measurement of V<sub>oc</sub>. A proportional-integrator (PI) based controller is used in implementation of constant voltage MPP technique and the modeling is done in MATLAB<sup>®</sup>/SIMULINK simulation environment. The simulation results are presented and discussed in the paper, the results shows that the efficiency of the system has increased.

scholarly journals Solar Charge Controller with Maximum Power Point Tracking for Low-Power Solar Applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Tomy Abuzairi ◽  
Wing Wira Adimas Ramadhan ◽  
Kresna Devara
Keyword(s):  
Low Power ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Maximum Power Point Tracking ◽  
Maximum Energy ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Maximum Power Point ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point ◽  
Solar Applications

Solar Charge Controller (SCC) with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is needed to extract maximum energy from photovoltaic. However, a SCC device with MPPT technology feature is expensive on the market due to the requirements for a high-power system. On the other hand, in lower power applications such as IoT sensors, solar street lights, and wireless communication nodes, these types of controllers can be produced at a lower cost. In this study, the design of a low-cost SCC was conducted using the MPPT technology for low-power solar applications. The SCC is designed based on the Arduino microcontroller, which has the role of controlling the circuit and producing PWM signals to regulate the DC-DC converter. Several tests were conducted to validate the efficiency of the MPPT algorithm. The SCC device succeeded in increasing efficiency up to 52% on the low irradiance level.

Temperature Dependence of Commercially Available Betavoltaic Cells

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrell Cheu ◽  
Thomas Adams ◽  
Shripad Revankar
Keyword(s):  
Open Circuit Voltage ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Photovoltaic Cell ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Electrical Performance ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Cold Environments ◽  
Run Off

There is an increasing need for devices that can be powered for extended periods of time where it is difficult or impossible to maintain or replace, such as pacemakers, long term space flight or undisturbed sensors for military use. Presently, most portable devices run off a Lithium-Iodide battery, which gives a high amount of power but could only last approximately 2 to 5 years, requiring frequent replacement. However, replacement is unnecessary for betavoltaic cells as they can last at least 20 years. City Labs Inc. received a general license for commercially available tritium betavoltaic cells that were validated at extreme temperatures without permanent degradation. To fully determine the effectiveness of a betavoltaic cell, the electrical performance (I-V curves) of three betavoltaics were evaluated while temperatures were ramped up and down from −30°C to 70°C. Short circuit current, open circuit voltage, maximum power and fill factor were used to compare electrical performance. Results indicated that the open-circuit voltage and maximum power decreased as temperature increased, suggesting that betavoltaic cells are suited for cold environments below 0°C, such as during nightfall when a photovoltaic cell may not be used.

A Low-Power Photovoltaic Maximum Power Point Tracking Circuit for WSNs

2013 ◽  
Vol 562-565 ◽  
pp. 1045-1051
Author(s):  
Gao Fei Zhang ◽  
Rui Ma ◽  
Zheng You ◽  
Zi Chen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Maximum Power Point Tracking ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Maximum Power ◽  
Maximum Power Point ◽  
Point Tracking ◽  
Power Point Tracking ◽  
Energy Limitation ◽  
Power Point

Currently, most wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are powered by batteries. When energy stored in batteries is exhausted, the life of the WSNs goes to the end. The concept of energy harvesting provides a practical solution to the problem of the energy limitation. In this article, the feasibility and performance of a simple and low-cost analog solar energy harvesting circuit with the function of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) are investigated. The technique provided is based on the approximately linear relationship between the maximum power point (MPP) voltage and the open-circuit voltage of a solar panel under different irradiation levels. Several experiments have been carried out regarding the accuracy and efficiency of MPPT as well as the working process of the circuit. Results show that the maximum power point with different loads can be effectively tracked by the self-powered MPPT circuit, and in the meantime, a stable output voltage can be generated. The efficiency of energy conversion is guaranteed by a commercial off-the-shelf DC-DC chip. The detailed description of the circuit design and the comprehensive analysis of the circuit performance will provide a useful guide for the future applications.

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