Design of a power regulator for solar energy application

Abstract

This report aims to present the work that was undertaken by the author during her

final year of her Final Year Project. With 85% of the world’s electricity supply are

mainly powered from burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Due to the growing

demand of energy needs and concern for the environment, an alternative energy

source has to be investigated.

Solar energy conversation is the process where the solar energy from the sun gets

converted to another forms of energy which includes heat and electricity. The solar

energy serves as a great alternative to the increasing energy needs and it is able to

sustain as a long term energy source. The solar energy are captured and converted

with the aid of a solar panel. The converted energy source is then stored in batteries

for subsequence use.

The sun do not provide constant solar energy source throughout the day. Therefore

the output voltage from the solar panel varies with time and location.

The purpose of this project is to design a DC-DC converter that effectively converts

the varying voltage into a constant DC voltage.

This project composes of four main components:

 Solar Panel-Conversation of solar energy source

 DC-DC Converter - Provides a constant DC output value

 USB/DC Lithium Polymer battery charger- Ensures and provides safe

charging of lithium batteries

 Lithium batteries – Storage of solar power energy source

This report will present the result of experiments that was conducted throughout this

project. Last but not the least, this will also include the knowledge and learning

points that the author has gained during this project