A Cost Efficient DC-DC Converter for Wireless Sensor Node

Limited energy sources and high cost are considered as the primary disadvantage of the WSN (Wireless Sensor Node). New studies show that in the future the major drawback of WSN will be energy storage, harvesting and processing. WSN are placed remotely which are powered by PV (Photovoltaic) Panels and batteries. The power source is variable in both cases; the output voltage of a PV panel fluctuates due to the environmental parameters such as intensity of light, dust, ambient temperature, cloud factor and humidity etc. While the output voltage of a battery drop due to the continuous use. On the other hand a regulated voltage is required for a load driven by a PV panel. DC-DC converter is a device which regulates the output voltage of a PV across the load. The converter design technique is based on PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). With PWM technique battery can be fully charged with less charging stress so prolonging the life time of a battery and reducing the cost. To maximize the accuracy and further reduce the cost analog control system will be used instead of an expensive microcontroller chip. The designed DC to DC converter has been simulated in well-known software called PSIM and tested under different circumstances.