scholarly journals A comparison of two automatic solar tracking algorithms

2020 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 02009
Author(s):  
Motlatsi Lehloka ◽  
James Swart ◽  
Pierre Hertzog

Due to global climate change as a result of pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the world has changed its view when it comes to power generation. The focus is now more on natural and clean energy, such as solar PV systems. An effective solar PV system is not a simple system, as the sun is not a stationery object. The sun moves from east to west daily and that makes the design and installation of an effective solar PV system challenging for optimal power harvesting. The purpose of this paper is to compare two algorithms (linear regression and fuzzy logic) that are applied to a dual-axis tracker in order to maximize the output power yield that may be obtained from a fixed-axis system. One fixed-axis PV module serves as the baseline for comparing the results of the dual-axis trackers that are controlled by the two algorithms. A key recommendation is to align a PV module perpendicular to the sun from sunrise to sunset using a control algorithm based on fuzzy logic principles in order to extract the maximum amount of available energy.

Electronics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Khan ◽  
Kamran Zeb ◽  
Waqar Uddin ◽  
P. Sathishkumar ◽  
Muhammad Ali ◽  
...  

Environment protection and energy saving are the most attractive trends in zero-carbon buildings. The most promising and environmentally friendly technique is building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which can also replace conventional buildings based on non-renewable energy. Despite the recent advances in technology, the cost of BIPV systems is still very high. Hence, reducing the cost is a major challenge. This paper examines and validates the effectiveness of low-cost aluminum (Al) foil as a reflector. The design and the performance of planer-reflector for BIPV systems are analyzed in detail. A Bi-reflector solar PV system (BRPVS) with thin film Al-foil reflector and an LLC converter for a BIPV system is proposed and experimented with a 400-W prototype. A cadmium–sulfide (CdS) photo-resistor sensor and an Arduino-based algorithm was developed to control the working of the reflectors. Furthermore, the effect of Al-foil reflectors on the temperature of PV module has been examined. The developed LLC converter confirmed stable output voltage despite large variation in input voltage proving its effectiveness for the proposed BRPVS. The experimental results of the proposed BRPVS with an Al-reflector of the same size as that of the solar PV module offered an enhancement of 28.47% in the output power.


Author(s):  
Oladokun Sulaiman Olanrewaju

Like all modes of transportation that use fossil fuels, ships produce carbon dioxide emissions that significantly contribute to global climate change and ocean acidification. Additionally, ships release other pollutants that also contribute to the problem and exacerbate climate change. Considering the large volume of ships on the high seas, ship emissions pose a significant threat to human health. The ocean is exposed to vast amounts of sunrays and has a great potential to be explored by the maritime sector and green power industry. Solar energy hybrid assisted power to support auxiliary power for the instruments on board the vessel is explored in a UMT vessel. The vessel that is used in this case study is Discovery XI, which is a 16.50 meter diving boat owned by University Malaysia Terengganu. The study explores the feasibility of using solar energy as a supporting power for marine vessel auxiliaries. The reduction of fuel usage after installing the solar PV system on the boat is determined, as well as an economic analysis. The power requirement for the vessel’s electrical system is estimated. The fuel and money saved is also estimated for comparison purposes of the vessel using the solar PV system and the vessel without the PV system. Economic analyses are performed, the Annual Average Cost (AAC) between a vessel using solar PV system and a vessel without solar PV system is estimated, and the period of the return of investment for the vessel with solar PV system is also estimated. The use of a photovoltaic solar system to assist the boat power requirement will benefit the environment through Green House Gas (GHG) reduction, and the use of solar as a supporting alternative energy could cut the cost of boat operation through fuel savings.


Author(s):  
Chris J. Astle ◽  
Gary J. Kovacik ◽  
Ted R. Heidrick

Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) is technology similar to conventional solar photovoltaics, which have been in existence for over 50 years. The main difference between traditional solar photovoltaics and TPV is that, instead of the sun, an “emitter” is used to produce light, which is then converted into electricity by the TPV system. This emitter is heated via combustion or some other method until photons are ejected. Although the light utilized in the TPV system is not as energetic as that from the sun, the fact that the TPV cells can be placed in close proximity to the source (compared with the distance to the sun) increases the intensity of the light received by the cells. This results in a higher power production density than is possible with traditional solar photovoltaic systems. One estimate of maximum achievable output power density for TPV systems is 5W/cm2, approximately 500 times that of a traditional solar PV system. Researchers in this field have already demonstrated power densities of 1.5W/cm2. Other attractions of TPV systems include fuel versatility, compact size, silent sun-independent operation, and low maintenance costs. A TPV test station has been assembled at the Alberta Research Council in Canada. A general overview of the background technology and system components will be presented, as well as preliminary experimental results. Areas that require additional improvement in order to increase system efficiency will also be addressed.


Author(s):  
Ramzi Alahmadi ◽  
◽  
Kamel Almutairi ◽  

With the increasing global concerns about greenhouse gas emissions caused by the extensive use of fossil fuels, many countries are investing in the deployment of clean energy sources. The utilization of abundant solar energy is one of the fastest growing deployed renewable sources due its technological maturity and economic competitivity. In addition to report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), many studies have suggested that the maturity of solar energy systems will continue to develop, which will increase their economic viability. The focus of analysis in this paper is countries with hot desert climates since they are the best candidates for solar energy systems. The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is used as the case study due to the country’s ambitious goals in this field. The main purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyze the stochastic behavior and probabilistic distribution of solar irradiance in order to accurately estimate the expected power output of solar systems. A solar Photovoltaic (PV) module is used for the analysis due to its practicality and widespread use in utility-scale projects. In addition to the use of a break-even analysis to estimate the economic viability of solar PV systems in hot desert climates, this paper estimates the indifference point at which the economic feasibility of solar PV systems is justified, compared with the fossil-based systems. The numerical results show that the break-even point of installing one KW generation capacity of a solar PV system is estimated to pay off after producing 16,827 KWh, compared to 15,422 KWh for the case of fossil-based systems. However, the increased cost of initial investment in solar PV systems deployment starts to be economically justified after producing 41,437 KWh.


Author(s):  
Siti Amely Jumaat ◽  
Adhwa Amsyar Syazwan Ab Majid ◽  
Chin Kim Gan ◽  
Mohd Noor Abdullah ◽  
Nur Hanis Radzi ◽  
...  

This project aims to determine the potential of grid connected solar Photovoltaic (PV) implementation and project planning of solar PV System in school.  Generally, the educational institution used huge amount of electricity to operate so their monthly bills is expensive. Therefore, the project planning is necessary to determine the potential of solar PV system implementation. The project planning consists of the current electricity consumed by the school and the amount of 120W Monocrystalline PV module needed by them. The cost of project are determines to identify the initial cost of this project implementation. Lastly, analysis on the profit collected by SK Pintas Raya after 20 years of solar PV system implementation proved the importance of this project.


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