Design and Simulation of a Solar-Powered DC-DC Boost Converter for Efficient Energy Harvesting

Design and Simulation of a Solar-Powered DC-DC Boost Converter for Efficient Energy Harvesting

Amina Yassmine NADANE, Mohamed Amine BOUAMRI

Abstract. This paper describes the design, simulation, and performance analysis of a DC-DC boost converter optimized for solar photovoltaic energy harvesting. The boost converter increases the variable 5-12 V input voltage to a regulated 24 V output at 12 W power using the standard boost converter circuit with appropriately chosen components at a switching frequency of 50 kHz. MATLAB simulation analysis of the boost converter circuit shows a maximum efficiency of 99.4% at an input voltage of 12 V, with an efficiency of more than 94.61% at all times. Loss analysis shows that the MOSFET losses are dominant at lower voltages, with increasing diode losses at higher voltages. The output voltage ripple is less than 0.70%.

Keywords
DC-DC Boost Converter, Solar Energy Harvesting, Power Electronics, Efficiency Optimization, Voltage Regulation, Renewable Energy Systems

Published online 4/25/2026, 9 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Amina Yassmine NADANE, Mohamed Amine BOUAMRI, Design and Simulation of a Solar-Powered DC-DC Boost Converter for Efficient Energy Harvesting, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 64, pp 416-424, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904091-52

The article was published as article 52 of the book Energy Futures

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

References
[1] M. A. Green, E. D. Dunlop, J. Hohl-Ebinger, M. Yoshita, N. Kopidakis, and X. Hao, “Solar cell efficiency tables (version 58),” Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 657-667, Jul. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.3444
[2] T. Esram and P. L. Chapman, “Comparison of photovoltaic array maximum power point tracking techniques,” IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 439-449, Jun. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEC.2006.874230
[3] R. W. Erickson and D. Maksimovic, Fundamentals of Power Electronics, 3rd ed. New York, NY, USA: Springer, 2020.
[4] M. Forouzesh, Y. P. Siwakoti, S. A. Gorji, F. Blaabjerg, and B. Lehman, “Step-up DC-DC converters: A comprehensive review of voltage-boosting techniques, topologies, and applications,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 32, no. 12, pp. 9143-9178, Dec. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2017.2652318
[5] R. W. Erickson and D. Maksimovic, “A multiple-winding magnetics model having directly measurable parameters,” in Proc. IEEE Power Electron. Spec. Conf. (PESC), Toledo, Spain, 1992, pp. 1472-1478. https://doi.org/10.1109/PESC.1998.703254
[6] S. Pal, B. Singh, and K. K. Tiwari, “Design and implementation of a solar photovoltaic based DC-DC boost converter for battery charging application,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Power Electron., Drives Energy Syst. (PEDES), Trivandrum, India, 2016, pp. 1-6.
[7] T. Esram, J. W. Kimball, P. T. Krein, P. L. Chapman, and P. Midya, “Dynamic maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic arrays using ripple correlation control,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron., vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 1282-1291, Sep. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2006.880242
[8] N. Kumar and B. Singh, “Coupled inductor-based DC-DC converter for renewable energy applications,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Power Electron., Intelligent Control Energy Syst. (ICPEICES), Delhi, India, 2016, pp. 1-5.
[9] Vishay Siliconix, “IRFZ44N, IRFZ44V, IRFZ44Z Power MOSFET datasheet,” Document Number: 91196, Rev. S, Jun. 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.vishay.com/docs/91196/91196.pdf
[10] Analog Devices, “LTspice simulator,” [Online]. Available: https://www.analog.com/en/design-center/design-tools-and-calculators/ltspice-simulator.html. Accessed: Nov. 2025.
[11] A. Harrag and S. Messalti, “IC-based variable step size neuro-fuzzy MPPT improving PV system performances,” Energy Procedia, vol. 157, pp. 362-374, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2018.11.201
[12] M. H. Rashid, Power Electronics: Circuits, Devices, and Applications, 4th ed. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education, 2014.