Analysis of Supercapacitors as an Energy Source – A Proof-of-Concept Study for Power Optimisation Circuits

Abstract

An in-depth study of supercapacitors as an alternative energy source as a means of energy storage solutions is critical but yet limited for various applications. This paper examines different supercapacitors' charge and discharge trends with varying capacitances and voltages to create a comparative study to obtain the best optimal circuit design. Several parameters were considered to create three experimental setups to establish an understanding of the supercapacitors' characteristics. Several time constants were explored to understand the supercapacitor's capacitance further. The derived analytical and experimental results showed that the supercapacitor's rate of charging and discharging factors were highly dependent on capacitance and not the voltage specification. These findings were crucial in contributing to the design of a power optimisation circuit.