Artificial Skylight A Novel Photovoltaic Approach For Daylight Harvesting

Abstract

Daylight harvesting is an apparent way of utilizing green energy in modern buildings which leads to sustainable development. In modern days, a huge amount of energy is consumed for lighting applications. So, in this article, we approached a novel photovoltaicbased daylighting system that can replicate the sunlight into an electric light inside a room. In general, this task is dependent on a photovoltaic cell and its maximum power point tracking for maximum energy conversion/extraction (daylight to electricity). So, we have developed a unique algorithm for this task which will lead to a maximum extraction of current based on the daylight condition outside. The MPPT algorithm is controlled by a microcontroller and the output light from the system is proportionate replication of the daylight available outside the room. The microcontroller controls the boost converter duty cycle for maximum power extraction. This article consists of detailed circuit diagrams and algorithm used for this whole system. This system is capable of lighting up a series of LED luminaires from a single photovoltaic cell.