Hybrid battery charging system using solar PV and utility grid

Abstract

A hybrid design of a battery charging system and its implementation has been explained in this paper. The system has been designed based on a novel algorithm to couple existing solar PV charging and utility supply charging systems. The algorithm has been programmed in an Arduino microcontroller that senses the battery voltage and generates appropriate commands to operate a relay that controls the utility grid supply availability by connecting or disconnecting it to the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) system through which the battery is charged. Besides the utility grid supply charging, solar PV also charges the battery whenever it is available through a charge controller. This system ensures continuous power supply and faster charging of the battery. The system has been designed to suit a typical Indian scenario where there is intermittent power supply due to power shortage which results in scheduled and unscheduled load shedding.