DesignofSolarPowerSystemDemonstrationUnitShurjoMaitraandProf.YoonG.Kim,ElectricalandComputerEngineering,CalvinCollege,Michigan

Abstract Results

References

Faith and Engineering

Theresearchfocusesondevelopingademonstrationunitwhichincludesasolarraysimulator,powerconverters,microprocessor-basedcontrollers,photovoltaiccells,andabattery.Theprocessinvolvesdesigningseveralfunctionblocks,constructingafixture,integratingthepowerelectronicswiththecontroller,testingthesystemandmeasuringavarietyofdata.

Weusedanaluminumblockshapedinahexagonalarraywith30spacestoconstructtheLEDlightsource.LEDmoduleswereassembled,solderedandconnectedtotheDCpowersupply.

Asealed-leadacidbatterysuccessfullystoredanddemonstratedreuseofenergywithabedsidelamp.Fourdigitalmulti-meterswereconnectedtothepanelsandbatterytomeasurethecurrentandvoltageofinputandstorage.

Avariableresistorwasaddedtodemonstratehowtheinputandstoragewouldactundervarioustypesofloads.SPDTswitcheswerealsoaddedtochangefunctionality.

AsChristianswebelievethatourworldbelongstoGodandwearestewardsinit.Asstewardswehavearesponsibilitytotakecareandjudiciouslyusetheresourcesweareblessedwith.Thisprojectfurthersourunderstandingofsustainabilityandrenewableenergysources.

ThisSolarpowerdemonstrationunithighlightstheusefulnessofharnessingsunlightusingphotovoltaiccellsasanenergysourceandfurthergraspgod’sgiftsandmakebetteruseofthem.

Acknowledgements

SustainabilityInitiativeFundbyCalvinCollege,GrandRapids,Michigan

Methods

Thisblockwasattachedtoaheatsinkusingscrewsandsiliconecompoundtofillanymicro-gaps.Fanswereaddedtohelpairflowintheheatsink.

TwoSolarpanelsweregluedontoaplasticboardandattachedtoaswiveltotesttiltrightabovetheLEDblock.Thiswasconnectedtoasolarchargercontroller.

Problem Statement

Need:Asolarpowersystemallowsinstructorstobringinfunctionalsystemstoclassroomstodemonstrateseveralaspectsofsolarpowersystems,addressingsustainabilityandrenewableenergyissues.

Objectives:

1. Todesignandtestasolarpowersystemdemonstrationunit.

2. Todevelopameasurementfixtureandintegrateitssoftwarewithspectrometerfortestingsolarsimulatorsinfuture.

Future Development

[1]www.seoulsemicon.com/_upload/Goods_Spec/X42182(0).pdf

[2]IEC60904-9Ed.2,Photovoltaicdevices,Part9:Solarsimulatorperformancerequirements,2007.

Wehavesuccessfullybuiltasolarsystemdemounitbutweneedtoapplythistoalargerscale(indevelopment)andtestrequiredIECspecifications[2]suchasSpectralMatch,IrradianceUniformity,andTemporalStabilitywhenthelightsourceconsistsofmulticolorLEDs.

ThiswillallowustounderstandtheapplicabilityofaLEDbasedsolarsimulatortotestsolarpanels.

Fig.1:WarmwhiteLEDspectrum[1]

ThesystemwastestedundervariousloadsandtheIVdiagramwascreatedabove.ThemeasuredpoweroutputoftheLEDarraywasabout628W/m2..Fromthisthemax.poweroutputofthepanelwasabout4Wandhadaefficiencyofabout5%.

Fig.4:IVdiagramobtainedfromtestingtheunit

Fig.3:Connectiondiagramfordemounit

Fig.2:TheconstructedLEDarray

Fig.5:LEDmeasurementfixture