A Mini Solar plant converts the photonic energy of sunlight into electricity, either directly using Photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). Mini solar power systems use lenses or mirrors to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. They are an important and relatively cheap source of electrical energy where grid power is inconvenient, expensive to connect, or simply unavailable. So, in this project, we are going to build a Mini Solar plant using an LM2577 Step-up Voltage regulator IC
The LM2577 is a monolithic IC that provides all of the power and control functions for boost, flyback, and forward converter switching regulators. This IC is available in three different output voltage versions: 12V, 15V, and adjustable. Requiring a minimum number of external components, these regulators are cost-effective, and simple to use. The main features include a 52 kHz fixed-frequency oscillator that requires no external components, a soft start mode to reduce in-rush current during start-up, and current mode control for improved rejection of input voltage and output load transients.
Hardware Components
You will need the following parts to build this Project.
| S.no | Component | Value | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Breadboard | – | 1 |
| 2. | Connecting Wires | – | 1 |
| 3. | Battery | 9v | 1 |
| 4. | Solar Panel | 7V-8V, 0.5A, 4W | 1 |
| 5. | Regulator IC | LM2577 | 1 |
| 6. | Schottky Diode | 1N5822 | 1 |
| 7. | Diode | 1N4007 | 1 |
| 8. | Heatsink | – | 1 |
| 9. | Inductor | 100uH | 1 |
| 10. | Polar Capacitors | 220uF/50V, 0.47uF | 1, 1 |
| 11. | Non-Polar Capacitor | 100nF | 1 |
| 12. | Resistor | 18K, 2.2K | 1, 2 |
| Pin No. | Pin Name | Description |
| 1 | COMP | Comparative IN to the IC |
| 2 | FEEDBACK | Feedback voltage based on which the output generates |
| 3 | GND | System ground |
| 4 | SWITCH | IC State Switch |
| 5 | Vin | The voltage to be regulated is given as input to this pin |
Circuit Diagram
Working Explanation
The solar cell charges the 6V SLA battery in the daytime. When the battery is charged it will provide 6V to the voltage booster circuit built around an LM2577-ADJ IC. The booster circuit boosts these 6 volts to 12V with 0.8A current.
On a full charge, the battery will show 7.2V with the solar panel connected and when it is not charging or when the solar panel is not connected then after a few hours its voltage will drop from 6.3V to 6.4V.
Applications
- Mostly serves its purpose in common DIY home projects to run small devices such as fans, light fixtures & PCs.
