Model development and GUI of renewable energy systems considering battery degradation

Abstract

As society advances technologically, demand for electricity generation is rising equally quickly. This is compounded with other issues arising from the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity, such as pollution and limited resources. Naturally, renewable energy sources are garnering more interest as they solve the immediate problems presented by fossil fuels.

Solar power in particular looks promising in Singapore, as the city state has abundant sunlight all year round. This makes a detailed study into solar power systems even more important. This report will thus detail the modelling and design of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, along with a GUI to enable inputs of values easily for simulation. A simulation of battery cycling will also be made and linked to the GUI to estimate battery degradation over time.

By using various function blocks in MATLAB Simulink, it is possible to create a solar PV simulation with various components, such as converters and battery chargers. The system will be tested and simulated to verify design parameters. Results can be viewed via scopes for reference and comparisons, and ideal settings can be made known for the design of solar PV systems.