A CubeSat is a miniature satellite designed for space science. Due to its low cost and small size, not only has it earned a high position in the field of space exploration but it has also become a reliable tool for space education. CubeSats are powered by solar panels mounted on each side of the cube. It is essential to maximize the available electrical energy gained from the minimal solar panel area available. This paper primarily focuses on the Electric Power Supply (EPS) that is responsible for supplying power to the system. A prototype EPS is constructed using a SEPlC to regulate battery voltage as well as the voltage at the loads. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) using the optimal duty ratio of the DCIDC converter is employed in order to obtain the maximum power from the solar panels.
Considering the fact that electric vehicle battery charging based on the current charging station is time-consuming, the charging technology needs to improve in order to increase charging speed, which could reduce range anxiety and benefit the user experience of electric vehicle (EV). For this reason, a 1 MW battery charging station is presented in this paper to eliminate the drawbacks of utilizing the normal 480 VAC as the system input to supply the 1 MW power, such as the low power density caused by the large volume of the 60 Hz transformer and the low efficiency caused by the high current. The proposed system utilizes the grid input of single-phase 8 kVAC and is capable of charging two electric vehicles with 500 kW each, at the same time. Therefore, this paper details how high-voltage SiC power modules are the key enabler technology, as well as the selection of a resonant-type input-series, output-parallel circuitry candidate to secure high power density and efficiency, while intelligently dealing with the transient processes, e.g., pre-charging process and power balancing among modules, and considering the impact on the grid, are both of importance.
This paper presents the second Electric Power Supply (EPS) prototype designed for supplying power to the Space Plasma Ionic Charge Analyzer (SPICA) CubeSat. In order to power the CubeSat with higher efficiency, Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar panels are mounted on each side of the cube, converting solar power into electrical energy. Solar cell area limitations require maximizing the available electrical energy generated. To extract the utmost available power from the solar panels, a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method that uses the optimal duty ratio of a DCIDC converter isimplemented. The DCIDC converter in combination with high performance GaAs solar panels and a MPPT technique will not only improve the power extraction but will also further increase efficien cy.
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