Desing and implementation of Arduino based MPPT solar charge controller

Developing technology and industrialization increase the need for energy every day. Fossil fuels play an important role in energy production. The fact that these resources are not environmentally friendly and that they will soon be exhausted increases the need for renewable energy sources. One of these sources is solar energy. Photovoltaic panels provide electrical energy from solar radiation. Energy from photovoltaic panels varies depending on factors such as radiation, temperature and contamination. Therefore, in off-grid systems, it is not appropriate for the panel to charge the battery directly. In photovoltaic systems, the current and voltage increase non-linearly and there is a point where power is maximum. This maximum power point is monitored by various methods and the energy is stored with minimum loss. Charge controller circuits are used to prevent the battery from being completely discharged or overcharged. Controlled charging ensures longer battery life. MPPT and PWM charge controllers are used to perform this operation. PWM controllers have very low efficiency. MPPT controllers try to get the maximum energy they can pull from the panel. In this thesis, Arduino controlled maximum power point tracer solar charge controller circuit was designed, the circuit was performed and the results of experimental studies were examined. The perturb and observe (P&O) method was used to monitor the maximum power point. It is aimed to increase the efficiency of energy obtained from photovoltaic panels.