Solar Energy Measurement Using Arduino

This project aims to develop a measurement of solar energy using Arduino Board technology. In this research, four parameters that been measured are temperature, light intensity, voltage and current. The temperature was measured using temperature sensor. The light intensity was measured using light dependent resistor (LDR) sensor. The voltage was measured using the voltage divider because the voltage generated by the solar panel are large for the Arduino as receiver. Lastly for the current was measured using the current sensor module that can sense the current generated by the solar panel. These parameters as the input value for the Arduino and the output was display at the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen. The LCD screen display output of the temperature, the light intensity, the voltage and the current value. The purpose of Arduino to convert the analog input of parameter to the digital output and display via LCD screen. Other than that, this project also involve with a design to ensure that device case are easy to be carry around.


Introduction
Rising fossil fuel and burning fuel such as coal, global warming and severe weather conditions have compelled many nations to look for alternative sources to reduce reliance on fossil based fuels.Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable sources that is currently being used worldwide to contribute for meeting rising demands of electric power.[1] Solar power is a conversion of sunlight into electricity, sunlight was collect either directly by using photovoltaics or indirectly using concentrated of solar energy.[2] Photovoltaics was initially use as a power source for a small and medium-size applications from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to a remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop photovoltaics system.As the cost of solar electricity has fallen, the number of grid-connected solar photovoltaics systems has grown into the millions and utility scale solar power stations with hundreds of megawatts are being built.Solar photovoltaic is becoming inexpensive, low-carbon technology to harness renewable energy from the sun.
[3] This paper presented by Arindam Bose et.al [4] describe a potential a solar system using two set of stepper motor, the light sensor and the concave mirror.The purpose of this project to improve the power collection efficiency 65% with developing the track of solar panel perpendicular.This paper presented by Mohsen Taherbaneh et.al [5] proposed the method based on simulation of two fuzzy controllers in order to maximize the generate the output power of solar panel in a photovoltaic system.The output I-V curve from this project are the maximum current is 1.56A nad the maximum voltage are 20V with solar irradiance = 500W/m 2 and temperature = 34.5°C.The results of the fuzzy-based maximum power point tracking with 23W with 51% and 11W with 24.5% from the nominal output power.On the other hand, the combination of fuzzy-based maximum power point tracking and fuzzybased sun tracking is 35W with 78% of the nominal output power.Yi-Hua Liu et.al in [6] presented the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method for low power photovoltaic system, 87W PV system.The MPPT circuit using the low power operational amplifier (OP-AMP) with high and low irradation line and an analog switch.The simple DC-DC converter using such as the interface the voltage from the PV system.The type of multi-crystalline solar cell KC85T with the nominal open-circuit voltage of 21.7V and the nominal voltage at the maximum power point of 17.4V.The simulation results shows with 1000W/m 2 irradiance, 25°C and the maximum power is 87.46W.From experimental results with 1000W/m 2 , the maximum power is 87.39W.The advantages of analog MPPT are very simple, the lowpower analog component, the fast speed and can using to all types of power convertes.This paper [7] propose the method the Fibonnaci search technique for narrow down possible locations.The results shows that 1000W/m 2 is 112.4W with 13% efficiency of panel solar.Mohammad H. Moradi presented in [8] to improve the performance of the maximum power point tracking in solar panel.The PV panel with Aria Solar are 60W, with 25°C,1000W/m 2 and the current is 2.5A and the voltage is 23.1V.The proposed algorithm are the set point calculation and the fine turning loops.The method was simulated with Matlab/Simulink and also development of the prototype.
Concentration of solar energy are concentration of the light from the sun to a point by using lens or mirror and tracking system.The light from the sun also produce heat and if we concentrate at a point.The point will experience the heat produce from the sun [9-10].
This project are focus on measure the solar power using Arduino [10].This design project are to measured parameters: light intensity, voltage and current and temperature using multiple sensor.The main part in this project are the solar panel, the light sensor, the temperature sensor, a voltage divider, the current sensor and the LCD screen to display.

Specification of Components
This part are discusses the main components that used on this research.

Solar Cell
In this research, the panel solar is polycrystalline type are be used with 12V, 250mA, 3W as a source [9].The size of the panel is 145mm X 145mm as shown in Figure 1.

Arduino Board
The Arduino Uno is microcontroller board based on the ATmega328 datasheet as shown in Figure 2. It has 14 digital input and output pins: 6 pins used PWM outputs and 6 pins is analog input such as the clock speed is 16MHz, the ceramic resonator, the USB connection, the power jack, the ICSP header and the reset button [10].

Light Sensor
A Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) or photo resistor is device whose resistivity is a function of the incident electromagnetic radiation which means it is light sensitive devices.These components also called a photo conductors, photo conductive cells or simply photocells [11].The LDR function on the principle based on photo conductivity which an optical phenomena.Figure 3 shows the resistance vs illumination graph of LDR.

Result and Analysis
This section are discusses the results based on the simulation results and the measurement result.

Simulation Results
Figure 5 shown the results of the temperature .It varies depend on the temperature sensor setting during the simulation.The Table 1 shown the simulation result of light intensity and the output voltage.From the simulation results shown that the circuit are function is very well and can be continue to the hardware development.

Measurement Results
These sections are divided to three main parts: the light intensity, the voltage versus light intensity and the output power.

Results of Light Intensity
The light intensity have been recorded in the three days with the solar panel in the sunrise position as shown in Figure 6.Based on the result, the highest light intensity was 980 Lux at 2.00pm, while the lowest light intensity was 700 Lux at 5.00pm.The light intensity have been recorded in the three days with the solar panel in the sunrise position as shown in Figure 7. Based on the result, the highest light intensity was 970 Lux at 11.00am, while the lowest light intensity was 350 Lux at 5.00pm.The light intensity have been recorded in the three days with the solar panel in the sunrise position as shown in Figure 7. Based on the result, the highest light intensity was 970 Lux at 11.00am, while the lowest light intensity was 350 Lux at 5.00pm.The light intensity have been recorded in the three days with the solar panel in the sunrise position as shown in Figure 8.Based on the result, the highest light intensity was 950 Lux at 12.00pm, while the lowest light intensity was 830 Lux at 5.00pm.Table 2 shown the maximum and the minimum of the light intensity that have been recorded according to their solar panel position.

Results of Voltage versus Light Intensity
The result voltage versus light intensity for the solar panel in sunrise position as shown in Figure 9.The highest voltage recorded was 14.75V at 11.00am with light intensity was 945 Lux and the lowest voltage recorded was 9.17V at 5.00pm with light intensity was 695 Lux.The result voltage versus light intensity for the solar panel in upward position as shown in Figure 10.The highest voltage recorded was 13.11V at 10.00am with light intensity was 929 Lux and the lowest voltage recorded was 6.3V at 5.00pm with light intensity was 357 Lux.The result voltage versus light intensity for the solar panel in sunset position as shown in Figure 11.The highest voltage recorded was 12.57V at 1.00pm with light intensity was 964 Lux and the lowest voltage recorded was 11.19V at 9.00am with light intensity was 931 Lux.Table 3 shown the maximum and minimum value of voltage and light intensity for each of the position.From the shows that, the higher voltage value, the light intensity also have higher value.The present of light intensity will affect the voltage produce by the solar panel.

Results of Output Power
The result of output power with the solar panel in the sunrise position was shown in Figure 12.The highest power produce was 2.4W at 4.00 pm, while the lowest power produce 0.3W at 5.00 pm.The result of output power with the solar panel in the upward position was shown in Figure 13.The highest power produce was 1.7W at 12.00pm, while the lowest power produce 0.38W at 5.00pm.The result of output power with the solar panel in the sunset position was shown in Figure 14.The highest power produce was 1.63W at 5.00pm, while the lowest power produce 1.21W at 9.00am.Table 4 shown the maximum and minimum power generated by the solar according to its type of position.
For the sunrise position, the maximum power generated is 2.4W, while the minimum power generated is 0.4W.For the upward position, the maximum power generated is 1.7W and the minimum power generated is 0.38W.For the sunset position, the maximum power generated is 1.63W and the minimum power generated is 1.21W.

Prototype of Project
Figure 15 shows the prototype of solat energy measurement using arduino uno.The best position of the solar panel energize was the sunrise position with the highest voltage value which is 14.75V at time 11.00am have been recorded.At this time the light intensity was 954 lux and the temperature was at 34.32 C.

Conclusion
In the conclusion, the project is achieve all of the objective are : to measure solar panel parameter such as the temperature, light intensity, voltage and current.
Using the temperature sensor that sense the changes in surrounding temperature, for the light intensity parameter was by using the LDR sensor, for the voltage parameter was by using the voltage divider method in order to reduce the maximum value of the solar panel to the voltage value suitable for the Arduino of power supply and lastly the current parameter was by using the current sensor module.Next, to find the best position and time for the solar power effectively energize the electricity.The data from measurement part shows that the best position of the solar panel effectively energize was the sunrise position with the highest voltage value which is14.75V at time 11.00am have been recorded.At this time the light intensity was 954 lux and the temperature was at 34.32 C. Lastly, to develop a portable device for measuring the solar energy can be achieve with developing the light in weight of the casing of the device and the neat arrangement of the electrical component inside the casing.

Fig. 4
Fig. 4(a).The block diagram of the research

Fig. 8 .
Fig. 8. Result for light intensity for sunset position

Fig. 15 .
Fig. 15.The Prototype of Solar Energy Measurement

Table 1 .
LDR simulation result

Table 2 :
Maximum and minimum light intensity.

Table 3 .
The maximum and minimum value for each position.

Table 4 .
Maximum and minimum output power.