DC-DC buck converter circuit for hybrid solar panel system using PV-TEG combination

Abstract

Abstract Solar energy utilization as electrical energy can be achieved by using solar panels and thermoelectric generators (PV-TEG) combination. Solar panels convert solar energy into electrical energy based on the principle of the photovoltaic effect. Meanwhile, the heat potential on the solar panels surface can be used to produce electrical energy using a thermoelectric generator based on the Seebeck effect. The electrical power generated by the PV-TEG is then fed into a DC-DC buck converter to lowering the electrical voltage according to the battery voltage capacity. This research aims to control the power transmitted from the PV-TEG to the battery to obtain optimal performance. Therefore, a circuit simulation of the DC-DC buck converter is conducted using LT-Spice to determine the converter’s efficiency. The DC-DC buck converter circuit is designed using a lowpass filter with its cut-off frequency of 1000 Hz (R=50Ω, L=33.8mH, and C=750nF). PV-TEG characterization is conducted to determine the input power range of the converter. The input power range obtained from the PV-TEG characterization is 18.98-20.55 V. The efficiency obtained through the LT-Spice simulation of the converter circuit is 72.94 %, with a maximum output voltage of 12.14 V.