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A System Design Approach For Unattended Solar Energy Harvesting Supply, Jonathan W. Kimball, Brian T. Kuhn, Robert S. Balog
A System Design Approach For Unattended Solar Energy Harvesting Supply, Jonathan W. Kimball, Brian T. Kuhn, Robert S. Balog
Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works
Remote devices, such as sensors and communications devices, require continuously available power. In many applications, conventional approaches are too expensive, too large, or unreliable. For short-term needs, primary batteries may be used. However, they do not scale up well for long-term installations. Instead, energy harvesting methods must be used. Here, a system design approach is introduced that results in a highly reliable, highly available energy harvesting device for remote applications. First, a simulation method that uses climate data and target availability produces Pareto curves for energy storage and generation. This step determines the energy storage requirement in watt-hours and the …