A novel MPPT-based synchronous buck converter for solar power system in fishing trawler

In Bangladesh, approximately 3900 square miles of entire length is surrounded by 700 rivers including tributaries. Around 770,000 inland and 510,000 marine fishermen survive in this country, whose income entirely depends on fisheries. Bangladeshi fishermen mainly use trawler for fishing purpose in sea and river. Those trawler boats require electric power at night for fishing and lighting purposes. Currently, in a trawler, electric power is supplied by a battery which is charged through a dynamo synchronized with trawler engine. These dynamos require diesel to serve electric power. In this paper, a novel MPPT-based solar power system for fishing trawler is discussed to reduce fuel consumption. This paper defines a method of extracting the maximum current from the PV cell to quickly charge a lead acid cell battery during its “bulk” or constant current charging phase. A PID controller is implemented to ensure that the DC-DC buck converter maintains a constant current output regardless of the charge level of the battery as long as it is in the bulk charging stage. The simulation and hardware results show that the algorithm has been optimized for commercially available 24V PV cells.