MATLAB & Simulink Hackathon 2026
A complete engineering solution for a self sustaining Martian microgrid, from design space exploration and impedance matching to realtime MPPT and closed loop voltage control.
Our microgrid chains a 50 kW solar array (1000S ร 10P) through a Perturb & Observe MPPT (ฮD = 0.0001) into a battery pack, regulated by a PI controlled buckboost converter (K = 0.005) to deliver a stable 510 V bus for 7 Martian sols.
Five engineering challenges solved to build a complete Martian power system.
Find the minimum solar power rating and initial battery SOC that sustain the habitat for the full 7 sol mission.
We swept Solar Power Rating in 10 kW steps and Initial Battery SOC in 10% steps, running each simulation to check if power held for 7 sols.
| Parameter | Result |
|---|---|
| 30 kW / 40% | Fail |
| 40 kW / 40% | Fail |
| 50 kW / 50% | Fail |
| 60 kW / 80% | Pass |
| 50 kW / 90% | Pass |
We chose 50 kW / 90% SOC, it uses the lower solar power rating, which is the key criterion for the minimum viable configuration.
Model a single diode solar cell, sweep load resistance to find the Maximum Power Point, and scale the array to deliver 50 kW at a 500 V bus.
A variable resistor (10 ฮฉ, slope โ0.9 ฮฉ/s) was swept to find the peak power point. Ns cells in series set the voltage; Np parallel strings set the current.
At t โ 5.5 s the resistance hits R_opt = 5.05 ฮฉ, yielding P = V ร I = 500 V ร 100 A = 50 kW, the maximum power transfer point.
Continuously track the solar array's maximum power point under changing irradiance using a P&O algorithm on a buck-boost converter.
We tuned four key parameters: initial duty cycle, duty cycle limits, and the perturbation step size ฮD; balancing tracking speed against steady state ripple.
| Parameter | Result |
|---|---|
| D_init = 0.5 | Balanced start, V_in โ 250 V |
| D_max = 0.80 | Prevents thermal losses |
| D_min = 0.20 | Maintains control margin |
| ฮD = 0.0001 | Best speed/stability |
ฮD = 0.0001 delivers rock steady 50 kW with negligible ripple over the full 100 s simulation. The algorithm converges in < 0.3 s and holds flat.
Regulate the DC bus load voltage within 500โ520 V using a PI controller on a buck-boost converter.
We set V_setpoint = 510 V (centered in the band), then tuned the PI gain K. K = 0.01 was too aggressive; halving to K = 0.005 eliminated oscillations.
| Parameter | Result |
|---|---|
| K = 0.01 | Too aggressive, oscillations |
| K = 0.005 | Stable, 510 V flat |
K = 0.005 settles to exactly 510 V with only ~0.004 V undershoot at startup, holding flat for the entire simulation, well within the 500โ520 V band.
Combine all subsystems into a unified Simulink model and verify end-to-end operation over the full 7-sol mission profile.
We connected the 50 kW solar array โ P&O MPPT โ battery pack โ buck-boost voltage regulator โ habitat load in a single model and ran the complete mission.
All subsystems operate in concert: MPPT tracks peak solar power, the battery buffers nighttime loads, and the voltage controller keeps the bus within spec for the full mission.
From a blank Simulink canvas to a fully integrated microgrid, our system delivers 50 kW of solar power through an MPPT controller that converges in 0.3 seconds, regulated to a rock-steady 510 V bus for the entire 7-sol Martian mission.