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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Solar Irradiance Microforecasting, Austin Jeffrey Fite, Sara Naseem Kipps
Solar Irradiance Microforecasting, Austin Jeffrey Fite, Sara Naseem Kipps
Computer Engineering
In late winter quarter 2018 the University of New Mexico and Microgrid Labs provided the Cal Poly Electrical Engineering department with their prototype Solar Irradiance Microforecasting (SIMF) hardware. This hardware was provided to the University under the lone condition that data collected with it would be returned to Microgrid Labs to train their weather model. The goal of this senior project was to take the provided hardware and software and make it usable for students in the Cal Poly Electrical and Computer Engineering departments to hack and expand. The end goal with the hardware is near term cloud and weather …
Grid-Tied Solar System, Virginia Yan
Grid-Tied Solar System, Virginia Yan
Electrical Engineering
Distribution level solar energy generation has gained importance and popularity, because it helps create a sustainable electricity system while reducing the harmful environmental impacts our current power systems have. This project proposes an alternative energy source, a laboratory-scale grid-connected photovoltaic system. A KC120-1 solar panel produces 120 Watts maximum. A grid-tied solar power inverter does DC-to-AC conversion and minimizes energy transfer losses. The inverter also has an anti-islanding feature, which senses a power outage and prevents back-feeding through isolating the circuit. The circuit breakers isolate electrical components and protect the circuit. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories SEL-751 feeder protection relay and SEL-735 …
Solar Cell Potential Induced Degradation Sensor, Luc Alexandre Tousignant
Solar Cell Potential Induced Degradation Sensor, Luc Alexandre Tousignant
Materials Engineering
It is important to maintain Photovoltaic (PV) cells and protect them from damage mechanisms like Potential Induced Degradation (PID), which can contribute to shorter lifespans and lower efficiencies. Current leakage through cell encapsulation can cause charge migration in PV cells that reduces the maximum quantum efficiency, which is the cause of PID. An experiment was setup to determine the feasibility of a non-silicon sensor able to produce similar leakage behavior to traditional PV cells under recorded humidity conditions. Thin sheet metals were encapsulated in EVA, a common PV encapsulant polymer, and mounted in aluminum framing. Three sensors, along with a …
Dc House Solar Panel Cleaner, Sarahanne Heredia, Sophia Deguia
Dc House Solar Panel Cleaner, Sarahanne Heredia, Sophia Deguia
Electrical Engineering
Solar panels lose 0.05% of their power conversion efficiency per day due to soil accumulation, according to an experiment conducted by the University of California, San Diego in 2013 [18]. The project is an electro-mechanical cleaning system that effectively and efficiently cleans solar panels at set intervals. A drip irrigation system with spray jets was attached to a water pump and Arduino, both powered by the DC House Project solar panel battery. The DC House solar panel was the targeted panel set up for the project. Several components of the design could have been chosen more optimally for the system; …