MPPT for Hybrid Wind, Solar and Thermoelectric Power Generation Systems for Off-Grid Applications

Abstract

Renewable energy resources for electrical generation are normally free but are not continuously available due to their sporadic availability. Thus, hybrid connections of various kinds of energy are made to increase utilization of renew-able energy. This paper involves a design of a hybrid renewable energy system employing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques. The hybrid system consists of solar PV panels, a small-scale wind turbine, and a thermoelec-tric generator (TEG) module. Four MPPT techniques are examined in this research. They are the incremental conductance (IC) algorithm, fuzzy logic controllers (FLC) using 25 and 35 rules, and an interval type 2 fuzzy logic con-troller (IT2FLC). Each MPPT technique is tested in the system to determine which has the best maximum power tracking, stable operation, and efficiency. All of the studied energy resources are connected to a DC linked bus. The voltage of this bus is supplied to a three-phase inverter. Inverter output voltage is regulated for balanced and unba¬lanced loads. The generating capacity of the designed hybrid system is 5 kW and the system is simulated using MATLAB Simulink R2017a.

Design of a battery charging system fed by thermoelectric generator panels using MPPT techniques

“…Battery charging using a TEG panel is an innovative approach that harnesses the temperature difference between the ambient environment and a TEG panel to generate electricity. TEGs are solid-state devices that can that can directly convert heat into electricity through the Seebeck effect [4][5]. By utilizing this effect, TEG panels provide an alternative solution for powering electric devices and systems in off-grid or remote locations.…”