Evaluation of a comprehensive power management system with maximum power point tracking algorithm for multiple microbial fuel cell energy harvesting

This study presents a comprehensive power management system (PMS) capable of tracking the maximum power point (MPP) and harvesting the energy from up to five microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The harvested energy from the MFCs was used to power the electronics, and in cases where this power was insufficient, alternative backup power options can be used. The voltage can be increased up to 3.3 V, and a hysteresis-based control approach was utilised to regulate the output voltage. The MPP of each MFC was determined using a variable step size incremental conductance algorithm that controls the duty cycle of the synchronous boost converters. No additional electronic components are necessary for the operation of the N and P-channel MOSFETs. The efficiency of the PMS relies on the target output voltage and the power output characteristics of the MFCs. Efficiencies of up to 87 % were achieved by combining the outputs of each MFC boost converter. To save energy, some electronic components are disabled when not in use, and the maximum power consumption of the PCB is below 5.8 mW at an output voltage of 3.3 V. The PMS is applied to simulated and real tubular MFCs under various operating conditions.