MPPT solar charge controller with automatic DC load management for standalone solar systems

Abstract

This paper describes the design and prototype of a solar charge controller with two key features: Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and automatic DC load management. The MPPT system continuously tracks the solar panel's peak power output using a DC-DC buck converter and an Arduino Nano microcontroller. The automatic DC load management selectively switches on and off different loads based on the voltage of a 12V, 7Ah battery. The Arduino Nano implements the MPPT algorithm using the Perturb and Observe method. To verify the system's effectiveness, we performed simulations in a Proteus environment and built a hardware prototype. The system incorporates several protective measures to safeguard against various issues: reverse polarity, under/over battery charge/discharge, short circuits, and open circuits. These protections are achieved using 10A fuses, IRFZ44N MOSFETs, and P6KE36CA diodes placed at both the input and output of the system. The final design can handle a maximum current of 10A at 12V voltage.