This paper presents a microcontroller-based charge controller suitable for photovoltaic applications. The controller performs temperatore-compensated charge control. It also monitors and stores those parameters that provide an indication of batteries' state of charge and state of health: Panel's voltage, battery's voltage and current, current demanded by a load and temperature. The eontroller has serial communication capabilities that make possible the interface to a personal computer or central station. By using a local industrial network or remote links ria radio, multiple remote controllers can be monitored by a central station running a battery management program The information collected from all the controllers in the system is analyzed to determine the state of charge of individual batteries and, if required, command the appropriate controller to perform special procedures like, for example, thorough diagnostics or equalization. Preliminary field-test results of a controller installed in a highway emergency bay are presented in the paper. It is shown that protection against deep discharges is achieved, which contributes to extend the battery useful life. 1.
Abstrcrn -This paper presents the characteristics of a lowcost individualsell monitoring system suitable for hatterybased backup systems. The system is being developed at the Department of Control and Instrumentation (GCI), Institute of Electrical Research (IIE), Mexico. The system has three main components: a central unit that stores, analyses and presents cells data, a data concentrator module that gathers data and sends it to the central unit and multiple data acquisition modules, one for each monitored ceU. The concentrator can also work as a lowsost chargecontroller for lead-acid batteries connected to photovoltaic panels. This paper also presents results from the field tests applied to the charge controller.
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