LAUSR

ABSTRACT A solar charger is proposed in this article. This solar charger, which is composed of a solar module and a three-port power converter, is used to charge a battery set with two batteries. Three ports of the three-port power converter are respectively connected to the solar module and two batteries. The three-port power converter integrates the power circuit for the interface for photovoltaic power generation and for voltage equalisation of the battery set. The operational mode for the three-port power converter varies depending on the voltage of the solar module. The current ripple and voltage stress of power semiconductor devices for the three-port power converter are less than those for a conventional boost power converter. A prototype is developed and tested to verify the performance of the proposed solar charger.