Energy Harvesting Optimization with Solar Panels
Name
Karl Lubja
Abstract
Fossil fuels have been the main source of energy for mankind for several centuries. However, due to the increasingly present danger of global warming and fossil fuels being a finite resource, humans have started looking towards more sustainable and ecofriendly sources of energy. Solar power is one of the most sought out options, but the full potential of the solar panels is yet to have been reached. The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of the currently existing solar tracking solutions and propose and test a solution based on the Arduino microcontroller, capable of greatly increasing the output of a solar panel. The author developed a prototype consisting of four photoresistors, two servo motors and a solar panel and tested it. The experimental results showed that the proposed system is able to harvest 20% of more energy from the solar panel than the traditional fixed panels.
Graduation Thesis language
English
Graduation Thesis type
Bachelor - Computer Science
Supervisor(s)
Mohan Liyange, Satish Srirama
Defence year
2017