scholarly journals Design and Fabrication of Low Cost Automatic Cleaning Module for Solar PV Systems

The Solar PV modules are usually engaged in dusty environments which are the condition in many tropical countries like India. The dirt gets hoarded on the superficial of the PV module and chunks the photons from the sun. It decreases the generation ability of the PV module. The power output decreases the efficiency, if the PV module is not cleaned for a long time. In order to habitually clean the dust, an automatic cleaning system has been proposed, which senses the light energy from the sun on the solar panel and also cleans the PV module automatically. This system is realized with PIC16F877A microcontroller which controls the geared servo motor. This system consists of a sensor (LDR) to make it dusk to dawn. While for cleaning the PV modules, a mechanism consists of a sliding wipers has been developed. In earlier machinery, cleaning of PV panels was done manually. But here the PV panels has been cleaned by automatic system i.e. wiping mechanism with water flow for effective cleaning

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2308
Author(s):  
Kamran Ali Khan Niazi ◽  
Yongheng Yang ◽  
Tamas Kerekes ◽  
Dezso Sera

Partial shading affects the energy harvested from photovoltaic (PV) modules, leading to a mismatch in PV systems and causing energy losses. For this purpose, differential power processing (DPP) converters are the emerging power electronic-based topologies used to address the mismatch issues. Normally, PV modules are connected in series and DPP converters are used to extract the power from these PV modules by only processing the fraction of power called mismatched power. In this work, a switched-capacitor-inductor (SCL)-based DPP converter is presented, which mitigates the non-ideal conditions in solar PV systems. A proposed SCL-based DPP technique utilizes a simple control strategy to extract the maximum power from the partially shaded PV modules by only processing a fraction of the power. Furthermore, an operational principle and loss analysis for the proposed converter is presented. The proposed topology is examined and compared with the traditional bypass diode technique through simulations and experimental tests. The efficiency of the proposed DPP is validated by the experiment and simulation. The results demonstrate the performance in terms of higher energy yield without bypassing the low-producing PV module by using a simple control. The results indicate that achieved efficiency is higher than 98% under severe mismatch (higher than 50%).


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 572-576
Author(s):  
E. Anoliefo ◽  
O.U. Oparaku ◽  
S. Egoigwe ◽  
S. Olisa

Despite the acclaimed long-term benefits of solar PV systems, most stand-alone solar projects in Nigeria seem to fail within a short duration. In this work, an analysis is carried out to examine the factors that lead to such poor performance of solar projects in Nigeria. A case study of standalone solar street lights (SASSL) in Nsukka geographical region in Nigeria was explored. The field work was carried out from Dec 2016 - January 2018. Data from field indicate that in most cases, premature battery failure due to undercharging was responsible for the collapse of these stand-alone solar systems. Given that the PV module is the sole charge generator in SASSL, the energy yield of the PV modules used in the SASSLs were further investigated. Controlled experiments were carried out to determine the impact of specific environmental and installations conditions on the yield of the PV modules. The results of the experiments led to the development of a model. The weather and installation specific data were then inserted into the model and were used to determine the likely reasons for the premature failure of SASSLs. The results indicated that the within the period under review, the PV modules were capable of providing adequate energy to the battery for only 25% of the time. For another 25% of the time the energy provided were marginal while for 50% of the time the energy provided were grossly inadequate. Keywords: Failure, Battery, Dust, Solar, mechanism, Street light, Irradiance, PV Module.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4357
Author(s):  
Paxis Marques João Roque ◽  
Shyama P. D. Chowdhury ◽  
Zhongjie Huan

With the energy crisis and the constant blackout in the Mozambique Power Company grid, the option of applying solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has been one of the most used alternatives in the neighborhoods of the Maputo region. However, inefficient power delivery caused by unproper sizing and installation of stand-alone solar PV systems has been contributing to the low utilization of solar energy potential in the Maputo region. The optimal sizing and installation of the solar PV system is addressed to evaluate the influence of installation and operation parameters on the power output of PV modules. In this topic, PV modules parameters such as cell temperature, the module′s slope and azimuth angles, the losses caused by excessive heating of the module cells, shadows and dust on the PV module and the cooling process at the back of the module are assessed in order to find out the consequence of inadequate installation and operation parameters of solar PV systems in the Maputo region. The proper sizing and installation of the stand-alone solar PV system is fundamental to guarantee the continuous and efficient supply of power and, thus, different tools and techniques have been applied. This study will deal with the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources (HOMER) and system advisor model (SAM), to size and improve power generation of solar PV systems. This study concluded that for the Maputo region, the optimal tilt angle is 23 ± 2 and the azimuth angle is 11 ± 2. In addition, for optimization of the tilt and azimuth angles, it also examined the effect of module backside ventilation and proved that the system′s power generation increases with the rise of spacing between the module and the wall, since the strategy prevents the decline of the module cells efficiency. However, the maximum recommended spacing between the PV module and the mounting wall is about 0.4 m, since an effort to increase the spacing up to this level results in an insignificant growth of power output.


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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 59-69
Author(s):  
Alok Dhaundiyal ◽  
Divine Atsu

This paper presents the modeling and simulation of the characteristics and electrical performance of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. Genetic coding is applied to obtain the optimized values of parameters within the constraint limit using the software MATLAB. A single diode model is proposed, considering the series and shunt resistances, to study the impact of solar irradiance and temperature on the power-voltage (P-V) and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and predict the output of solar PV modules. The validation of the model under the standard test conditions (STC) and different values of temperature and insolation is performed, as well as an evaluation using experimentally obtained data from outdoor operating PV modules. The obtained results are also subjected to comply with the manufacturer’s data to ensure that the proposed model does not violate the prescribed tolerance range. The range of variation in current and voltage lies in the domain of 8.21 – 8.5 A and 22 – 23 V, respectively; while the predicted solutions for current and voltage vary from 8.28 – 8.68 A and 23.79 – 24.44 V, respectively. The measured experimental power of the PV module estimated to be 148 – 152 W is predicted from the mathematical model and the obtained values of simulated solution are in the domain of 149 – 157 W. The proposed scheme was found to be very effective at determining the influence of input factors on the modules, which is difficult to determine through experimental means.


Author(s):  
Chan Men Loon ◽  
Muhamad Zalani Daud

This paper presents development of a prototype sensorless dual axis solar tracker for maximum extraction of solar energy. To prove the concept and evaluate the proposed algorithm, a low cost widely availabe materials were used which was programmed based on Arduino microcontroller. The porposed algorithm works based on two search methods namely the global search that approximates the best point location in a region, and local search that further determines the actual sun’s position. Experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm gives better performance compared to the existing sun position algorithm (SPA) - based method as well as the fixed panel system. In terms of total output power, the proposed algorithm gives 17.96% more efficient than the fixed system and 6.38% better than the SPA-based system. Furthermore, the percentage error of the experimental measured angle to the actual sun azimuth angle was relatively minimal (less than 3%) during clear day operation. The system was proven to be effective in tracking the sun for improved energy production of solar PV panels and the proposed algorithm also can be used for designing the tracker with larger size of solar PV systems.


Author(s):  
Sivaraman P. ◽  
Sharmeela C.

A solar micro inverter is a small-size inverter designed for single solar PV module instead of group of solar PV modules. Each module is equipped with a micro inverter to convert the DC electricity into AC electricity and the micro inverter is placed/installed below the module. The advantages of micro inverters are: reduced effect of shading losses, module degradation and soiling losses, enabled module independence, different rating of micro inverter can be connected in parallel to achieve the desired capacity, additional modules can be included at time which allows the good scalability, string design and sizing are avoided, failure of any micro inverter does not affect the overall power generation, individual MPPT controller for each module increases the power generation, any orientation and tilt angle allows higher design flexibility, lower DC voltage increasing the safety, easy to design, handle and install, requires less maintenance, draws attention of design engineers, contractors, etc.


Author(s):  
Rupendra Pachauri ◽  
Himanshu Rai Anand ◽  
Anurag Koushal ◽  
Anurag Singh ◽  
Yogesh K. Chauhan ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Olufunmilola Atilola ◽  
Joseph Goodman ◽  
Kathryn Nagel ◽  
Julie Linsey

Biologically inspired design is the process of using biological systems as analogues to develop innovative solutions for engineering problems. This paper describes an effective and successful implementation of problem-driven biologically inspired design in a real-world problem. In support of the Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, a national collaborative effort to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of the decade, solar panel designs were carried out by engineering and architectural design teams. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems were developed using analogical design, and more specifically, bio-inspired design. Some systems were also designed using non-biological analogues. Functional decompositions were employed as the first step in the design process, as a way to identify the key functions essential to the system’s reliability and cost effectiveness. Six key functions were identified. Analysis of the final designs by the teams showed that the solar panel system designs using biologically inspired analogues were more effective in meeting the six key functions identified during functional decomposition. Employing a combination of divergent and convergent design thinking is also discussed as a way for effective biologically inspired design. The top three designs selected for prototyping were biologically inspired and exceeded the project goal of reducing the installation and labor costs of solar PV systems by 50%.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Firdaus Muhammad Sukki ◽  
Roberto Ramirez Iniguez ◽  
Scott G. Mcmeekin ◽  
Brian G. Stewart ◽  
Barry Clive

Solar energy has become a matter of global attention in the past few years. This paper explores the use and benefit of solar concentrators in the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. First, a short literature review of previous research on the usage of solar concentrators in improving solar PV system performance and reducing the cost of implementation is presented. This is followed by an overview of SolarBrane, an example of a Building Integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system which uses an optical concentrator in the solar PV design. An optimised design of the SolarBrane is also discussed afterwards. A financial benefit study is conducted to compare the average return of investment of using the optimised SolarBrane and traditional solar PV installed in Malaysia’s environment. SolarBrane has proven to be a good alternative to achieve costeffective solar PV system. The financial analysis simulated under the new Malaysian Feed–In Tariff scheme indicates that the optimised SolarBrane could potentially reduce the initial cost of implementation by 40% and generate higher return, close to 20%, when compared to traditional solar PV systems. Key words: Solar photovoltaic; solar concentrator; solarBrane; dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator; financial analysis


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