An efficient solar charging algorithm for different battery chemistries

Abstract

This paper proposes a new, effective, robust and reliable solar battery charging algorithm for the widely used batteries; NiCd, NiMH, Lead-Acid and Lithium-Ion. The algorithm has the ability to charge the battery in the outdoor conditions, when the power is variable, and terminate charging when the battery is fully charged. The algorithm has two modes of operation; current mode and voltage mode. It can deal with the unexpected outdoor conditions, which may cause drops in the current, without falsely detecting the battery state of charge. A programmable power supply was programmed and the four battery types were charged to test the algorithm.