Abstract
Solar energy is a renewable energy abundant throughout the year in a tropical weather country like Malaysia. This paper investigates the viability of using solar PV systems as a cost-saving measure to supply electricity for Taylor’s University (TU) daily energy usage. Experimental values were compared with theoretical values and analyzed in this paper. In this experiment, four photovoltaic (PV) panels connected in parallel were linked to a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller acting as a voltage regulator. A lead-acid battery was also coupled to the controller that acts as an energy storage to store the harvested solar energy from PV panels and discharge it in electricity. Temperature sensors connected to an Arduino UNO were placed at different locations on the solar panels to monitor for irregularities in the temperature of the panels. The amount of electricity produced was calculated using the data obtained. The results showed that using a larger PV system will generate much more electricity and create a high return on investment (ROI) if the solar panels absorbed sunlight under good weather conditions, thus bringing forward a potential solution to reduce TU’s electricity consumption.
Highlights
Present-day energy demand is mostly delivered by fossil fuel
A light bulb was used to demonstrate that the system functions while the temperature readings showed no irregularities, meaning that the solar panels absorbed a similar amount of heat
This paper displayed the potential of a smallscale PV system that could store energy and supply electricity to Taylor’s University (TU) and how much money could be saved by using this PV system
Summary
Present-day energy demand is mostly delivered by fossil fuel. Pehnt stated that fossil fuels would run out in the 37 years globally [1]. Many studies and research were done on renewable energy sources to reduce the heavy dependency on fossil fuels. TU is situated in Malaysia, where the tropical climate is hot and receives constant sunlight all year long. Solar energy is identified as a clean, sustainable, and renewable energy source that can be harvested to generate electricity on TU. This method will become the secondary source of electricity generation and acts as a cost-saving opportunity for TU daily energy consumption
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