Battery-based storage systems in high voltage-DC bus microgrids. A real-time charging algorithm to improve the microgrid performance

•Study of renewable-based microgrids for the integration, management, and operation of battery-based energy storage systems (BESS) with direct connection to high voltage-DC bus.•Detection of key parameters for the operation and improvement of the BESS performance in terms of efficiency, lifetime, and DC voltage management.•Design and implementation of a two-phase charging protocol, current limiting and charging voltage control through the proper synchronization of the auxiliary elements of the microgrid.•A medium-term simulation and experimental validation is presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed controller. The results show a correct operation of the microgrid and present a clear improvement in performance over traditional solutions based on MPPT commercial solutions.•Main conclusions and future works derived from the simulation case are presented