Evaluation of Indoor Power Performance of Emerging Photovoltaic Technology for IoT Device Application

Yerassyl Olzhabay, Ikenna Henry Idu, Muhammad Najwan Hamidi, Dahaman Ishak, Arjuna Marzuki, Annie Ng () and Ikechi A. Ukaegbu ()
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Yerassyl Olzhabay: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Ikenna Henry Idu: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Muhammad Najwan Hamidi: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal 14300, Malaysia
Dahaman Ishak: Department of Electrical Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia
Arjuna Marzuki: School of Technology & Engineering Science, Wawasan Open University, George Town 10050, Malaysia
Annie Ng: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Ikechi A. Ukaegbu: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: The rapid rise in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has opened the door for diverse potential applications in powering indoor Internet of Things (IoT) devices. An energy harvesting system (EHS) powered by a PSC module with a backup Li-ion battery, which stores excess power at moments of high irradiances and delivers the stored power to drive the load during operation scenarios with low irradiances, has been designed. A DC-DC boost converter is engaged to match the voltage of the PSC and Li-ion battery, and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is achieved by a perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm, which perturbs the photovoltaic (PV) system by adjusting its operating voltage and observing the difference in the output power of the PSC. Furthermore, the charging and discharging rate of the battery storage is controlled by a DC-DC buck–boost bidirectional converter with the incorporation of a proportional–integral (PI) controller. The bidirectional DC-DC converter operates in a dual mode, achieved through the anti-parallel connection of a conventional buck and boost converter. The proposed EHS utilizes DC-DC converters, MPPT algorithms, and PI control schemes. Three different case scenarios are modeled to investigate the system’s behavior under varying irradiances of 200 W/m 2 , 100 W/m 2 , and 50 W/m 2 . For all three cases with different irradiances, MPPT achieves tracking efficiencies of more than 95%. The laboratory-fabricated PSC operated at MPP can produce an output power ranging from 21.37 mW (50 W/m 2 ) to 90.15 mW (200 W/m 2 ). The range of the converter’s output power is between 5.117 mW and 63.78 mW. This power range can sufficiently meet the demands of modern low-energy IoT devices. Moreover, fully charged and fully discharged battery scenarios were simulated to study the performance of the system. Finally, the IoT load profile was simulated to confirm the potential of the proposed energy harvesting system in self-sustainable IoT applications. Upon review of the current literature, there are limited studies demonstrating a combination of EHS with PSCs as an indoor power source for IoT applications, along with a bidirectional DC-DC buck–boost converter to manage battery charging and discharging. The evaluation of the system performance presented in this work provides important guidance for the development and optimization of new-generation PV technologies like PSCs for practical indoor applications.

Keywords: photovoltaic (PV); Internet of Things (IoT); perovskite solar cell (PSC); maximum power point tracking (MPPT); perturb and observe (P&O); energy harvesting system (EHS) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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