Solar Energy Generator System Design

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Solar Energy Generator System Design

Nathaniel VerLee!
August 20th, 2014!

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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

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1.0 Introduction
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The solar energy generator has a buck boost topology DC-DC converter that can either step up
or step down the output voltage from the input voltage, which allows the system to operate at
the panels peak efficiency known as the maximum power point. The maximum power point is
tracked using a current and voltage sensor by periodically changing the input to output voltage
relationship of the DC-DC converter and measuring the corresponding changes in output power
the sensors. In addition to implementing Maximum Power Point Tracking, the buck boost
topology allows the battery operating voltage range to be either higher, lower, or both relative to
the panel input voltage depending on the solar panels used. When configured properly it can be
used to harness the energy of panels up to 500W in capacity. Batteries used can be anywhere
from 100 watt hours to a few kilo-watt hours in capacity, and the initial target battery chemistry is
lithium iron phosphate due to its high cycle life and increased safety over traditional lithium cells.
Other chemistry such as lead acid will also be supported in the future. The generator is
composed of the following circuit blocks: a buck boost DC-DC converter, a battery current
sensor, a load current sensor, a battery voltage sensor, gate drivers for the converter, a C2000
micro controller, 12V, 5V, 3.3V and 1.8V rails, and a load switch.!
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A load switch is critical to protecting the battery from over discharge and short circuit. The load
switch opens and disconnects the load if either of these conditions should occur. Currently, this
portion of the system is not fully defined and may be implemented either with relays or
MOSFETs as the switch. Each of the two load switches should be able to handle at least 10A,
and more may be potentially be added externally.!
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A Texas Instruments C2000 TMS320F28035 has been selected for the final design of the
project, but in the prototyping stage a TMS320F28027 is being used as it is available in a pre
made "launchpad" platform from TI, which includes the necessary debugging and programming
interface as well as 5V and 3.3V supplies. The C2000 microcontroller was selected because it
has many features designed for digital power applications, and configuring it to drive the buck
boost converter is not only easy, but powerful, allowing multiple converters to be driven in a
phase relationship, and allowing for fast shut down of the converter stage in the event of a
dangerous transient event. In the final single-PCB solution, a buck converter will be connected
to both the panel input and the battery via a diode or, which will source power from the higher of
the two voltages. This 5V rail will then supply power for a 12V rail (boost) for the FET gate
drivers and the 3.3V and 1.8V rails for the micro, sensor circuits, display, and various other
circuits.!
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Finally, the generator will include a simple character display, buttons and an encoder wheel to
configures various system settings such as battery float voltage, power limiting, a shutdown load
timer, display system power output, and allow for future information and configuration features. I
selected an OLED display from Adafruit for its high contrast and bold appearance.!
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In the current stage of development the separate sensor board, power stage board and the
C2000 development board are all connected to each other in a manner very similar to the
configuration of the final completed PCB. Some features are not currently available such as the
load switches and the supply rails. Much of the last two months of development has been
teaching myself to code for the C2000 platforms. The next stages of development will include
finalizing the proof of concept with separate interconnected PCBs, finishing work on the final
 Solar Energy Generator System Design

PCB, measuring the performance of the prototype with instruments and searching for possible
improvements, and creating in depth documentation of the project. !
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1.1 Table of Contents
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1.0 Introduction!
1.1 Table of Contents!
1.2 Target applications!
1.3 Example application!
1.4 List of device features!
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2.0 System specifications!
2.1 Final PCB overview!
2.2 Connection description list!
2.3 Electrical Specifications!
2.4 Serial communication functions!
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3.0 Prototype Hardware!
3.1 Buck-Boost Power stage!
3.2 Voltage Measurement!
3.3 Current Measurement!
3.4 Prototype Hardware Setup!
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4.0 Buck-Boost power stage schematic!
4.1 Voltage Sensor Schematic!
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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

1.2 List of target applications

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LED street lights and security lights!
- Weather and sensor stations!
- Radio relays and mesh network nodes!
- Security cameras and sensors !
- Power for sailboats and cabins and RVs!
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1.3 Example Application
The following diagram shows a usage scenario for the Solar Energy Generator. In this scenario,
the generator is connected to a solar panel, a battery, and two loads. One of these loads is an
LED lamp. The other is a microcontroller that senses the ambient light level, communicates with
the generator over a serial bus, and communicates to a host controller over a wireless radio.
The microcontroller can tell the generator to turn on or off the load over the serial interface. It
could also be connected directly to the LED lamp so that the lamp can be dimmed depending on
the remaining energy left in the battery, which is facilitated by the serial interface. !
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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

1.4 Device Features

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- Supports panels in series or parallel combinations up to 500W!
- Interface allows for custom configuration of power limiting, battery float voltage and
chemistry, monitoring of real time power output, and control of two different load
switches!
- Compact size of 120x120x45mm!
- High efficiency of 95%!
- A Dual phase (in final PCB design) converter allows for currents up to 16A, input
FETs and internal rails tolerate input voltages up to 50V!
- Maximum Power Point Tracking allows for increased efficiency under all insolation
and temperature conditions. !
- Load switches allow actuation of load and will prevent loads from damaging batteries
by over depletion, short circuit and over current conditions.!
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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

2.0 System specifications

This section gives a detailed description of target design specifications for the solar energy
generator. A block overview of the final PCB design is included as a guideline for the look at feel
of the final board. Connections to and from the board and their various functions are described.
A list of electrical specifications is given for both the external connections as well as some
internal characteristics of the system. Finally, a list of planned commands that can be addressed
to the generator either from an SPI or SCI interface is given. This list of commands is what will
allow external load that use the generator as an energy source and to access information on the
state of the battery, panel, load current, and other parameters. These features are not
commonly found in other similar generator or chargers, and should set the solar energy
generator apart from other system by allowing for tighter integration. !
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2.1 Final PCB general overview
The following diagram is intended to be a rough draft of each of the circuit blocks
Present on the final PCB and their relative size and position. External connections are
also shown here. !

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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

2.2 Connection Description List

A list of connections that can be made to and from the solar energy generator. These
include power connections as wells as analog and digital data connections. !
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Connection Description

Panel Input These terminals accept down to a 12 gauge wire connection for a solar
panel up to 500W. Connection to a panel under sunlight with at least 200mA
of available current drive at at least 15V will allow the harvester to power
up.

Battery Positive and negative connection terminals for the battery. The solar energy
generator accepts a lead acid or lithium iron phosphate battery connection
with cell voltage configurations between 12 and 36V.

Load 1 Positive and negative connections for a load of up to 10A. This load switch
is overcurrent and short circuit protected and can be turned off and on from
the interface.

Load 2 Positive and negative connections for a load of up to 10A. This load switch
is overcurrent and short circuit protected and can be turned off and on from
the interface.

Temp Sensor Battery temperature connections for an LM65 temperature sensor. This
sensor determines if the battery is within the appropriate temperature range
and shuts down charging and loads if the battery becomes overheated.

Display SPI connection for the OLED display. This display allows the user to
configure the system and monitor current, voltage and power during charge
and discharge cycles

Interface Debounced connections for 6 buttons, a rotary encoder and 4 LED

indicators.

I2C I2C interface used for future expansion options such as additional sensors
or battery balance board.

SPI/SCI SPI interface used for communicating with the generator and querying it for
information.

GPIO Used for future expansion options such as additional sensors or battery
balance board.
 Solar Energy Generator System Design

2.3 Electrical Specifications

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This is a list of electrical input and output specifications various external connections made to
the generator as well as specs for some of the on board circuits. These specs are overall design
goals that the system should meet when completed. !
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Charistic Description and Conditions Min Typ. Max Units

V_IN Panel Input voltage 10 36* 50 V

I_IN Panel Input current 0.1 10* 16 A

P_IN Panel Input power 5 360* 500 W

V_OUT Battery terminal output voltage 8 50 V

I_OUT Battery terminal output current -20 16 A

I_LOAD Load terminal output current 0 20 A

I_Supply_12V On board 12V supply current 200 mA

I_Supply_5V On board 5V supply current 1000 mA

I_Supply_3.3V On board 3.3V supply current 600 mA

I_Supply_1.8V On board 1.8V supply current 600 mA

T_MPPT Time to finding maximum power point 1 2 S

Converter Eff. Converter efficiency 90 96 99 %

Converter Power coverer switching frequency 120 kHz

Frequency

Output ripple Peak to Peak output ripple voltage 20 100 mV

voltage

Operating Board operating temperature 0 85 C

Temperature

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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

2.4 Serial Communication Functions

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A list of planned functions for the generator to interface with external systems. !
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Function Read/Write Description

Get Status Read Returns status of the system, ex "charging", "discharging", "fault"

Set Load Write Enables or disables connected loads

Get Load Read Returns vales to indicate which loads are enabled and which are
Stat disabled

Enable Write Enables or disables battery charging. System must be disabled in order
to configure battery chemistry, float voltage, charge current, etc.

Get PV Read Returns average panel voltage over the last second

Get PI Read Returns average panel current over the last second

Get PP Read Returns average panel power over the last second

Get BV Read Returns average battery voltage over the last second

Get BI Read Returns average battery current over the last second

Get BP Read Returns average batter power of the last second

Get SOC Read Returns the state of charge of the battery as an integer between 0 and
100 symbolic of battery percentage estimate

Set Chem Write Sets the type of battery chemistry

Set Float Write Sets the battery float volage

Set Current Write Sets the maximum battery charge current

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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

3.0 Prototype Hardware

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The solar energy harvester is comprised of several main circuit elements: Input voltage
and current measurement, A buck-boost converter stage, Output voltage and current
measurement, a C2000 piccolo microcontroller with various peripheral circuitry
interfacing with buttons, and serial and other IO. In the prototype phase these circuits
have been designed as separate boards that are connected together by 22 gauge
jumper wires and thicker 14 gauge wires for high current connections. The boards
include a differential voltage sensor, Hall effect current sensor, and power stage boards.
Additionally, a C2000 launchpad is used as the development board for the
microcontroller, and separate analog and digital supply voltages are set up by linear
regulators on a breadboard. A 12V switching power supply deli pavers power to the gate
drive ICs on the power stage board. !
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3.1 Buck-Boost power stage
The power stage allows the converter to change the panel input voltage to battery
voltage relationship by stepping the voltage up or down. This ability is critical to
controlling the battery charging process as well as finding a point on the solar panel
known as the Maximum power point, where the panel will deliver the most energy it is
capable of given current sunlight and temperature conditions to the battery load. The
prototype power stage has the power circuitry which includes input and output
capacitors, switching FETs and an inductor as well as gate driver ICs to drive the FETs.
The board takes an input from the input current sensor board and sends converter
power out to the battery current sense board.
 Solar Energy Generator System Design

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3.2 Voltage Measurement
Voltage measurement is accomplished by a differential voltage circuit that allows for
high impedance sense lines to both the high voltage and ground point that is being
measured. When high currents are present in the power stage, the voltage drop
associated with this high current would cause errors in the voltage measurement if the
voltage sensor was not differential. After going through a low pass filter, the output of
the difference amplifier, which has a 1/20 gain, may be multiplied by a second amplifier
with a gain of 2. This allows the board to have two effective ranges with a 3.3V supply of
either 30V or 60V. !
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3.3 Current Measurement
Current measurement is performed by an Allegro Hall effect sensor. The output of the
sensor goes through a low pass filter and a buffer. The sensor has a range of +/-20A. !
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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

3.4 Prototype hardware setup

All of these boards are mounted on an MDF board so that connections can be neatly
made between them. The current prototype is a work in progress and will change as
more experiments and improvements are made to the system.
 Solar Energy Generator System Design

4.0 Buck-Boost Power Stage Schematic

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 Solar Energy Generator System Design

4.1 Differential Voltage Sensor Schematic