Engineering Commons^™

Energy Harvesting Sensors And Their Role In Fostering Sustainable Air Quality Monitoring, Tomas Valentin, Li Geng

Publications and Research

This research presents a comprehensive investigation into Energy Harvesting Sensors and their role in fostering sustainable air quality monitoring. The primary objective is to explore the viability of energy harvesting technologies in energizing sensor networks devoted to the real-time collection of air quality data, emphasizing the reduction of environmental impact and maintenance demands. The study delves into the integration of energy harvesting mechanisms, including solar and piezoelectric kinetic energy, to power advanced sensor nodes capable of detecting pollutants, particulate matter, and gas concentrations. The findings of this research highlight the significant benefits of energy harvesting sensors, including enhanced sustainability, long-term …

Photovoltaics, Batteries, And Silicon Carbide Power Electronics Based Infrastructure For Sustainable Power Networks, Prahaladh Paniyil

All Dissertations

The consequences of climate change have emphasized the need for a power network that is centered around clean, green, and renewable sources of energy. Currently, Photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines are the only two modes of technology that can convert renewable energy of the sun and wind respectively into large-scale power for the electricity network. This dissertation aims at providing a novel solution to implement these sources of power (majorly PV) coupled with Lithium-ion battery storage in an efficient and sustainable approach. Such a power network can enable efficiency, reliability, low-cost, and sustainability with minimum impact to the environment.

The …

"Demeter" Soil Monitoring System, Ryan Matthews, Rachel Rummer, Temilolu Fayomi, Alex Fuller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a soil monitoring system that can remotely sense and relay soil conditions back to a user. The deMETER soil probe, Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest, is designed to aid hobbyist gardeners, small-scale farms, and nurseries to monitor their dynamic soil conditions and maximize their harvest. The probe is a self-powered system that can monitor the moisture and essential nutrients of the soil profile to determine which areas should receive water and fertilizer. This would significantly cut water and fertilizer waste. The solution will include an embedded system with sensors …

Garden Bot: Autonomous Home Garden Weed Removal Robot, Brendon Lovejoy, Robert Connolly, Isaac Lucas, Stevan Veselinov

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With frequent weeding being a tedious chore and an essential task for a successful garden, there is need for an automated method of handling this routine. Existing technologies utilize computer vision, GPS, multiple units and other tools to remove weeds from garden plots. However, these solutions are often complex and expensive, suited for large agricultural plots in contrast to small-scale home gardens. In addition, many of these technologies, along with manual tillers and cultivators suited for home use, are unable to perform weeding within rows of crops in a process known as intra-row weeding. The Garden Bot is an autonomous, …

Performance And Economics Of Solar Inverters And Module Level Power Electronics In A 1 Mw Photovoltaic System, Maxwell Criswell

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Photovoltaic solar panels convert sunlight to electricity in the form of direct current; therefore, a necessary component of every photovoltaic system is an inverter to convert the electricity to usable alternating current. There are various commercially available inverter technologies manufactured today such as microinverters, string inverters, and central inverters, as well as module level power electronic devices such as DC optimizers that are capable of improving system performance in string and central inverter systems. This thesis compares the performance and economics of five different inverter and module level power electronic systems through model simulation using Helioscope software. The five alternatives …

Design And Development Of Laboratory Single-Axis Pv Module Tracker, Helen A. Rice, Delaney Berger, Avishek Maitra

Electrical Engineering

Solar energy is an integral part of the renewable energy industry. Advanced solar farms actively track solar movement and update solar panel angles to maximize the system’s output power. Cal Poly boasts its own Solar Farm that features a single-axis tracking system. Single-axis tracking aims to get panels as close to perpendicular as possible given the panel arrangements and given the time of year. Single-axis tracking is a more robust measurement and tracking option. Single-axis tracking systems usually only have East-West panel arc movement, following the sun’s rotation. Dual-axis trackers have both East-West and North-South panel arc movements. Dual-axis systems …

An Investigation Of Diode Failure, Nicholas James Adams

Physics

Solar electricity can be used to cheaply cook food and charge electronic devices. We investigate the viability of using diodes as heating elements for insulated solar electric cooking (ISEC). In addition, information on designing and constructing ISEC compatible phone chargers and rechargeable LED lighting systems is included.

Neca Ghana Project, Michael T. Klee

Construction Management

Cal Poly’s motto is, “Learn by Doing" and for Cal Poly’s NECA Chapter, this isn’t simply a motto, but a directive for proactive change. For my senior project I will be leading the Cal Poly NECA chapter in the design, pre- fabrication and construction of a 5-7kw solar array, community center, ice production room and technology room in the remote fishing village of Agbokpa, Ghana. The solar array will power multiple industrial DC freezers, high efficiency LED lighting and charging stations while additionally powering water filtration and irrigation systems. Like many other fishing villages around the world, Agbokpa has no …

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy

All Undergraduate Projects

Renewable energies, and fuels that are not fossil fuel-based, are one of the prolific topics of debate in modern society. With climate change now becoming a primary focus for scientists and innovators of today, one of the areas for the largest amount of potential and growth is that of the capturing and utilization of Solar Energy. This method involves using a mechanical system to track the progression of the sun as it traverses the sky throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker such as the one designed and built for this project, can follow the sun both azimuthally and in …

Dc-To-Dc Buck Converter, Kyle Christopher Roman

Electrical Engineering

The growth of sustainable energy requires many components to work in harmony creating one efficient and effective system. Sustainable energy generation that produces a DC current varying in voltage requires a subsystem to convert voltage to a practical and usable value. The DC to DC Buck converter converts high DC solar generated voltage to a 12V output. This Modular -Level power electronic (MLPE) device performs as a solar charge controller for small lithium ion batteries. Fluctuating voltage levels generated by Photovoltaic cells makes the solar controller a critical part of the solar system. Regulating the DC voltage allows safe and …

Solar Powered Single-Axis Heliostat Active Solar Tracking Device, Mason Kyle Roberts

Physics

As a means of cooking food, the burning of biomass accounts for over 4 million premature deaths in third world countries (“Household Air Pollution and Health”). The focus of this project was to explore an alternative that could utilize focused sunlight to cook food. A solar tracker was designed to be affixed to a parabolic, reflective, tilted single axis heliostat to follow the sun throughout the day and focus the reflected light to the bottom of a cooking surface. This surface became hot enough to for the preparation of food or boiling/sterilization of water.

A goal for each project was …

Solar Roller - Solar Powered Usb Charging Station, Aaron Bartfeld, Tanner Mjelde, Kaylan Naicker

Electrical Engineering

As the necessity for renewable energy increases, solar power becomes more and more prevalent. At the same time, as technology increases, the necessity for charging one’s electronic devices also increases. The Solar Roller merges solar energy with the ability to charge one's electronic device in one compact cart. The Solar Roller is a solar-powered USB charging station that allows people of all backgrounds to develop a better understanding of alternative fuels, while charging their USB device. It has a touch screen display that provides voltage levels of the battery as well as a TV that displays solar powered information. The …

Dc House Energy Management System, Zachary L. Eldredge, Zoe M. Hay

Electrical Engineering

In this work, a previously completed proof of concept for an Energy Management System (EMS) for the DC House project has been revised and re-implemented. The implemented design changes will improve the performance and reproducibility of the system. This new design of the EMS replaces the two-separate buck and boost DC-DC converters with a single bidirectional DC-DC converter to reduce components and improve efficiency. Analysis of the bidirectional DC-DC converter shows high efficiency especially at larger load currents. The code of the previous work was updated for smoother operation as well as to accommodate an LCD capable of displaying more …

Investigating Solutions For Peak Electrical Demand In Central Region, Saudi Arabia, Abdulhameed Mohammed Almaarik

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the electrical power challenges of the Central Region, Saudi Arabia. This includes a look into the geography of Saudi Arabia, to assess the lack of traditional power sources such as coal and hydroelectric. Next, a comprehensive look into the nature of demand in Riyadh, which include the demand types, and comprehensive data about the peak demand and the times associated with it. A problem of very high peak demand that is unique to the region is identified. Then, a study into current electric generation methods to meet this demand, and the associated technologies and fuel costs. This …

Simulation, Measurement, And Emulation Of Photovoltaic Modules Using High Frequency And High Power Density Power Electronic Circuits, Yunas Erkaya

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations is growing exponentially, and to improve the energy yield and the efficiency of PV systems, it is necessary to have correct methods for simulation, measurement, and emulation. PV systems can be simulated using PV models for different configurations and technologies of PV modules. Additionally, different environmental conditions of solar irradiance, temperature, and partial shading can be incorporated in the model to accurately simulate PV systems for any given condition.

The electrical measurement of PV systems both prior to and after making electrical connections is important for attaining high efficiency and reliability. Measuring PV …

Integrated Solar Technologies With Outdoor Pedestrian Bridge Superstructure Decking, Richard K. Racz

Masters Theses

Solar technology has been a major topic in sustainable design for many years. In the last five years, however, the solar technology industry has seen a rapid growth in installations and technological advances in cell design. Combined with a rapidly declining overall system cost, the idea of introducing solar technology into a wider range of applications is becoming a focus for engineers and scientists around the world. So many variables which alter solar energy production, such as the sun and surrounding environment, determine whether a solar design is beneficial. This thesis presents a bridge deck surface integrated with solar cells …

A Techno-Economical Appraisal Of A Pv Domestic Plant On A Irish Dwelling, Roberto Sandano

Articles

A comprehensive study of a domestic PV installation is addressed in this paper. A series of economic results are presented for a domestic installation in Ireland.

Transimpedance Amplifier For Polymer Photodiodes, Sheridan Knighton

Electrical Engineering

Dr. Braun’s students in the Polymer Electronics Lab currently have a way to measure the light intensity from their light emitting devices however it consumes an unnecessary amount of space and power. I offer to improve upon the existing transimpedance circuit that Dr. Braun currently uses, reducing the total space occupied by the circuit and the power consumption of the current setup. The transimpedance circuit measures the incidence light intensity from the polymer-based photo detector and outputs an accurate, discrete, and measurable voltage. The current setup however utilizes two 20V wall warts for the positive and negative rails of the …

All Purpose Mobile Gps, James C. Smith, Matt Weege, Kevin Peters

Electrical Engineering

The aim of the All Purpose Mobile GPS (The System) is to create a GPS tracking device that can accurately record location and calculate velocity, distance traveled and elevation change even when the satellite signal is lost. This data can later overlay on existing internet-based maps illustrating a trip to oneself or others. The portable tracker consumes very little power achieving several days’ worth of power in a single charge. A solar cell provides a quick battery boost in a pinch. SD Card storage increases compatibility with computers and other forms of data transfer. Data processing, such as viewing the …

Bike Safe: An Automatic Turn Signal System, Betty He Chan, Ricardo Alberto Duran

Electrical Engineering

Bicycles are vehicles that do not require a license to operate and share the road with cars, motorcycles, and other fast moving vehicles. An improper lane change from a bicyclist, such as one without any warning, can lead to great injury or death (especially after sundown). Bike Safe addresses this safety concern by providing a low-cost device that mimics the warning system motorists’ use every day. The system consists of a red brake light and amber turning signal lights that mounts to the rear of the bike, as well as a white headlamp that mounts to the front handlebars. The …

Modeling And Fault Detection In Dc Side Of Photovoltaic Arrays, Mohd Akram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fault detection in PV systems is a key factor in maintaining the integrity of any PV system. Faults in photovoltaic systems can cause irrevocable damages to the stability of the PV system and substantially decrease the power output generated from the array of PV modules. Among'st the various AC and DC faults in a PV system, the clearance of the AC side faults is achieved by conventional AC protection schemes,the DC side, however , there still exists certain faults which are difficult to detect and clear. This paper deals with the modeling, detection and classification of these types of DC …

Portable Solar Powered Charging Station, Jordan Bonner

Electrical Engineering

The portable solar powered charging station uses a solar powered mat that can be folded for portability. The device has the ability to charge small electronics during both day and night. When sunlight is available, the charger charges two C batteries in series and at the same time it charges any electronic device that can be connected via USB or cigarette lighter. At night the charger will charge the same electronic devices from the onboard batteries. The charging station must be able to interface with electronic devices using USB and a car cigarette lighter to charge the device’s battery.

Highly Efficient Maximum Power Point Tracking Using A Quasi-Double-Boost Dc/Dc Converter For Photovoltaic Systems, Christopher J. Lohmeier

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are a great source of renewable energy generation. The biggest problem with solar systems is relatively low efficiency and high cost. This work hopes to alleviate this problem by using novel power electronic converter and control designs. An electronic DC/DC converter, called “Quasi-Double-Boost DC/DC Converter,” is designed for a Solar PV system. A Maximum Power Point Tracking (MTTP) algorithm is implemented through this converter. This algorithm allows the PV system to work at its highest efficiency. Different current sensing and sensorless technologies used with the converter for the MPPT algorithm are offered and tested. Design aspects …

Photovoltaic Emulator Adaptable To Irradiance, Temperature And Panel Specific I-V Curves, Joseph Gamos Durago

Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the design and performance of a photovoltaic (PV) emulator. With increasing interest in renewable energies, large amounts of money and effort are being put into research and development for photovoltaic systems. The larger interest in PV systems has increased demand for appropriate equipment with which to test PV systems.

A photovoltaic emulator is a power supply with similar current and voltage characteristics as a PV panel. This work uses an existing power supply which is manipulated via Labview to emulate a photovoltaic panel. The emulator calculates a current-voltage (I-V) curve based on the user specified parameters of …

Call For Papers Of Iceea10, Toufik Rekioua Pr

REKIOUA Djamila Dr

We are pleased to announce that we are organizing an international conference on electrical engineering, electronics and Automatic (ICEEA'10) which will take place in Bejaia (Algeria) on 2-3 November 2010 (see call for papers)

Enhanced Cal Poly Super System Simulink Model, Matthew Ogden Mcfarland

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly Sustainable Power for Electrical Resources (SuPER) project is a solar power DC distribution system designed to autonomously manage and supply the energy needs of a single family off-the-grid home. The following thesis describes the improvement and re-design of a MATLAB Simulink model for the Cal Poly SuPER system. This model includes a photovoltaic (PV) array, a lead-acid gel battery with temperature effects, a wind turbine model, a re-designed DC-DC converter, a DC microgrid, and multiple loads. This thesis will also include several control algorithms such as a temperature controlled thermoelectric (T.E.) cooler, intelligent load switching, and an …

Dual Axis Solar Tracker, Weston Sapia, Jason Birnie

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Solar References, Djamila Rekioua

REKIOUA Djamila Dr

No abstract provided.