Analysis of the cells equalizing circuit for cost-effective low-voltage battery storage system

Abstract Battery storage is becoming very popular all over the world. However, they are primarily use in industrial and high-power applications. Household use is very rare due to size and cost issues. This work provides an overview of the basic concept designs for cost-effective battery storage system. The main specific of the proposed system is the utilization of commonly available recycled laptop batteries, while a standard configuration (3S—3 batteries in series) is consider. Technical solutions focus on the efficiency and performance optimization of the voltage equalization system. Because of the low level of the system voltage and dealing with the efficiency maximization of low-power solar cells, the buck-boost topology is evaluated as a possible solution. Regarding the previously mentioned facts, attention was given to the simulation investigation of the balancer circuit, while the main aim was to reduce cost, space, and time for measuring cells during the recycling process. According to the simulation findings, it is possible to reduce the cost, especially the device’s size, by using a simple two-cell active balancing circuit without the need for a transformer by up to 50%. This makes this method suitable for use in small spaces such as homes, garages, and basements.