Intelligent and reliable power supply system for small satellites

This paper describes the research results obtained in developing an intelligent and reliable power supply system for small satellites. Small satellites (typically less than 500 kg) have limited space to mount the solar panels and little volume to spare for the backup batteries. Hence there is a need for an intelligent power management and distribution system to obtain the maximum power from the limited solar panels and batteries. Use of maximum power point tracker (MPPT) enables optimization of solar power generation in spite of changing sun insolation due to variation of angle of incidence of sun radiation and of the temperature of the panels.