1. Solar Optimal Power Generation for
Home Appliances
Introduction
We've used the Sun for drying clothes and food for
thousands of years, but only recently have we been able
to use it for generating power.
The Sun is 150 million kilometres away, and amazingly
powerful.
Just the tiny fraction of the Sun's energy that hits the
Earth (around a hundredth of a millionth of a percent) is
enough to meet all our power needs many times over.
In fact, every minute, enough energy arrives at the Earth
to meet our demands for a whole year - if only we could
harness it properly.
Abstract
SOLAR TRACKER starts following the SUN right from
dawn, throughout the day, till evening, and starts all
over again from dawn next day. On cloudy weathers, it
remains still and catches the SUN again as it slips out
of clouds. It does all this automatically, employs cheap
and inexpensive components, and is very accurate.Let
us see how it does all this.
Aim
To use the solar cells efficiently which is used for power generation
Implementation of the Project
Normally solar cells are placed in a ground in one direction only. But sun
moves in a elliptical path. So only few hours the sunlight falls into the cell. During
the rest of the hours the percentage of Sunlight, which falls into the cell, is very
less. Which results in less amount of energy generation.
To overcome this problem we can construct a model where we can place the
solar cell in it and which can move in elliptical path .To track the sunlight. This is
achieved with the help of light intensity sensors. The sensors are fixed into the
model in an elliptical path. So depending on the sunlight the sensors output
differs. So according position the solar panel, which results in good efficiency.
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2. (i.e.).the solar cell can produce energy by tracking the sunlight with the help of
sensors and mechanical model. The Movement is controlled by a PIC
Microcontroller. Also we have an LCD Display to Show the current Position.
The delivered power of a Solar Panel is used to charge a DC Battery. Which
is finally provided to the run a small fan or to provide dc light source. The
Battery will be keep on charging using the solar panel. The source from the
battery is fed to the invertor circuit and is used to glow a CFL Lamp.
Mechanical arrangement:
Motor
Solar cell
Sensors-2
Sensors-1
Sensors-3
Block diagram:
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3. Light
intensity
sensors
LCD Display
Potential
Divider
PIC Microcontroller Power
PIC 16F877 Supply
Opto Opto Opto Opto
Coupler Coupler Coupler Coupler
Pre Pre Pre Pre
Driver Driver Driver Driver
Signal Power Power Power Power
Conditioner Driver Driver Driver Driver
Circuit
Solar Cell Stepper Motor
Mechanical Model
Invertor Circuit CFL Light
Battery +12VDC
Block Diagram Explanation
Power Supply:
Generates +5V Power supply from the given 230VAC
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4. Dual Power Supply:
Generates+12V and –12V DC power supply for opamp circuits
Stepper motor Power Supply:
Generates+12V power supply for Stepper motor
Stepper Driver Board:
Converts the singal from the controller and amplifies the current required
by the stepper motor
Potential divider:
Used to convert the voltage level to a low level which is accepted by the
microcontroller
PIC 16F877 Micro controller:
PIC 16F877 Micro controller is used as the CPU for processing the I/p and
Output.
LCD Display:
Used to display the output parameters like voltage current etc.
LDR:
Used to identify the light intensity
Signal conditioning circuit:
Used to convert the voltage levels from the sensors to be accepted by the
microcontroller.
Opto-coupler:
It consists of opto-emitter and phototransistor in opto-emitter exists infra
red radiation which in turn drives the phototransistor.
Pre-driver:
We cannot directly couple the TIP122 (NPN) to the opto-coupler since it
requires large current for driving. We use the driver SL100 to boost the current
level.
Driver:
The main principle of the driver is to amplify the current. It amplifies the
50mA current to2A, which is needed to drive the motor.
Opto-coupler:
It consists of opto-emitter and phototransistor in opto-emitter exists infra
red radiation which in turn drives the phototransistor
Invertor:
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5. The invertor circuit is used to convert the DC source from the battery to
glow the CFL Lamp.
Software Requirements
1. MPLAB IDE V5.6
2. Hitech C Compiler
3. PIC PLUS Programmer Software
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