Deep Cycle Battery Research Articles

Integrating solar PV systems for energy efficiency in portable cabins: A case study in Kuwait

The rapid growth of energy consumption in densely populated urban areas with limited land space, especially in hot climates, poses significant challenges. The Australian University of Kuwait conducted a study using two portable cabins to explore energy-saving techniques. One cabin integrated an off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) system to evaluate its impact on grid electricity demands for an airconditioning (AC) cooling system over 9 months, compared to the second cabin without a PV system. The PV system utilized rooftop space with four Monofacial Go Green 350 W/24 V solar panels, an off-grid maximum power point tracker (MPPT) inverter charger 3.5kVA/100A/24 V, and two Gel deep cycle batteries 12 V/200Ah. The PV panels were oriented south at a 30-degree latitude angle, providing power through the MPPT to a 1.5-ton AC split unit for cooling. Findings showed that the cabin with solar PV panels achieved a 24.1 % energy saving and a total CO2 reduction of 129.4 kg, consuming 1,743 kWh over 237 days, compared to 2,296 kWh for the cabin without the PV system. The novelty of this study lies in the integration of off-grid solar PV systems with existing cooling technologies to evaluate potential energy savings and environmental benefits for comprehensive utilization and addressing urban and climate challenges. Enhancements can include flexible room temperature control using advanced systems, optimizing the PV system settings with more efficient AC systems, and connecting the PV system to additional loads like heating/cooling and lighting. These improvements would ensure the comprehensive utilization of captured solar energy in Kuwait and countries with similar climatic conditions throughout the year. Advancements in solar PV panel efficiency and high-intensity flexible PV panels offer opportunities for maximizing solar energy capture in dense residential buildings.

Photovoltaic-integrated advancements for sustainable water production: Developing and evaluating an enhanced hybrid solar desalination system

The global water crisis demands innovative solutions, and solar desalination is a promising avenue. However, traditional systems often suffer from low yields. This study centres on the development, assessment, and economic feasibility of the Enhanced Hybrid Solar Still (EHSS), a pioneering approach to sustainable clean water production. Integrating photovoltaic technology, the EHSS targets a minimum daily output of 15 L/m2. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations guide the design optimisation, identifying an optimal configuration of 4 mm basin thickness, a 2 mm glass cover thickness, and a 56° slope. The EHSS is a single component that comprises of passive operation and advanced components integration, including monocrystalline solar panels, a hybrid MPPT inverter, a deep cycle battery, and a custom water heater, to enhance the yield. The EHSS undergoes a comprehensive assessment encompassing distillate quality, efficiency, and economic viability. In passive mode operation (solely using solar radiation), clean water yields range from 4.7111 L/m2·day to 2.1309 L/m2·day. Transitioning to active mode operation (employing photovoltaics and additional components) significantly enhances yields to a range of 19.7 L/m2·day. Impressively, the EHSS consistently delivers an average daily water yield of 16.85 L/m2, and also its purity meets World Health Organization standards for drinking water. The PV systems exhibit a charge rate of 14.28 % per hour on clear days and 9 to 11 % per hour on semi-cloudy days, with the battery depleting at 16.66 % per hour at 70 °C operational temperature. Comparative analysis against traditional systems showcases an efficiency increase from 25.61 % to an outstanding 64.01 % for the optimised EHSS (PV system and appurtenances). A strong correlation (coefficient of 0.9701) between experimental and simulation results indicates robust relationships. Over a 20-year lifespan, cost analysis reveals a per-litre cost of 0.0892 US dollars for the EHSS, compared to 0.0374 US dollars for traditional systems. Extended lifespans further underscore the economic feasibility of the EHSS, emphasizing its role in providing sustainable clean water solutions.

Electronic Life Cycle Monitoring System for Various Types of Lead Acid Batteries

With the development of renewable sources of electricity, more and more attention is paid to electricity storage systems and their research. In order to make the research process of various types of batteries automatic, an automatic system for monitoring of the working characteristics and parameters of batteries was created. System management is based on the ATmega328 series microcontrollers. The system control program code and computer application were created using programming languages C and Delphi. The developed system is able to support the automated process of battery testing and to inform the operator about the deviations that have occurred by offering solutions. After the development of this system, a study of the charging and degradation process of four types of batteries was carried out. Four types of lead-based batteries (non-deep cycle battery, deep-cycle battery, GEL battery and AGM battery) were used for the research. Research has shown that GEL-type batteries have the highest number of life cycles, with the number of cycles reaching up to 750. This type of batteries is best suited for storing electricity obtained using renewable energy sources.

Development of a 1KVa fuel less generator using a Brushed Direct Current Motor

In this paper, the fuel less generator just as the name implies is a power generating system that doesn’t require any kind of fossil fuel for its operation. It is safe to say the fuel less generator is a zero-carbon energy system with two major categories; Dynamic Fuel less Generators and Static Fuel Less Generators. The constructed 1kVA Fuel less Generator comprised of a 240W Brushed Direct Current Motor, a 1kVA Alternator, Couplings, Flywheel, 12V 100AH Deep Cycle Battery, 12V 4A Charging Panel or Rectifying circuit (AC-to-DC), Automatic Voltage Regulator, Frame, and other accessories. The Brushed Direct Current Motor was directly coupled to the alternator with the flywheel in-between, also a digital thermometer was connected to the Brushed Direct Current Motor and alternator to monitor their temperature. A digital Direct Current Ammeter and Voltmeter were connected in series with the 12V 100AH Battery and across the Brushed Direct Current Motor terminals respectively to observe and obtain readings of the fuel-fewer generators. A digital energy meter with a current transformer was also connected between the power output of the alternator and the 5A single pole circuit breaker to obtain output parameters such as Voltage, Current, Frequency, Power Factor, and energy consumed. A handheld Digital Tachometer was used to obtain the speed of the fuel less generator during testing. Various tests such as the No-Load and Load Test, Temperature Test, and Speed Test were carried out during the performance evaluation using varying loads from the range of 0W to 800W. During the test, it was observed that the temperature of the Brushed Direct Current Motor increased drastically when a load of 300W was introduced into the system and the generator had its maximum efficiency of 88.71% at the same 300W load. The fuel less generator was operated with and without the flywheel which gave an output frequency of 40Hz and 25Hz respectively. The construction of fuel less generator with the ability to be in perpetual motion and continually generate electric energy is achievable provided the motor speed, torque, and cooling system are properly calculated. This research can be used to replace the conventional gasoline generators used in residential buildings and by Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs). The inclusion of a direct-coupled flywheel, power torque formula, and temperature monitor and control play an important role in the development of an efficient fuel less generator.

A redox-mediated zinc electrode for ultra-robust deep-cycle redox flow batteries

Redox-mediated zinc chemistry is proposed to ultimately solve the “dead zinc” problem in zinc-based alkaline flow batteries.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF RECYCLEDLITHIUM-ION BATTERIES IN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Water pumps, being the most essential part of any irrigation system require fuel or electricity to be operated. Thefuel is often expensive, and majority of rural areas are not connected to the grid. This necessitated the need foran alternative source of energy to power the pumps. Solar energy is one of the most easily accessible forms ofenergy and has the advantages of being environmentally friendly and durable. The energy is also in abundanceand readily available. A key concern is the high cost of batteries to store the solar energy. This paper analyses theperformance of solar irrigation system using recycled laptop batteries. The use of recycled laptop batteries is expectedto cut the cost of deep-cycle batteries by more than 60%. Experimental results have shown that the recycledlithium-ion batteries can effectively power irrigation pump hence, can handle the irrigation process satisfactorily.

Design of a Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Energy System for Small-Scale Business Outlets (Case Study of Arogbo Community in Ondo State)

This paper designed a stand-alone photovoltaic energy system for small-scale business outlets in rural areas, using Arogbo Community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria as a case study. Structured questionnaires were administered to 150 business outlets for energy audit. Total energy estimate and consumption for 8 hours daily operation were estimated from obtained information. Total energy demand of the outlets based on their appliances used per day with power factor of 0.8 and 15% tolerance for a maximum load of 355.228 kW was 1,894.844 kWh. The specific energy required for a typical outlet (Barbing Salon, Computer Centre and Hairdressing Shop) were (0.938, 9.04 and 10.87) kWh, and their photovoltaic equivalence were estimated as (1.266, 12.211 and 14.67) kWh respectively. The solar components for the outlets were estimated as (0.317, 3.053 and 3.66) kW solar modules on installation areas of (3, 28.4 and 34) m2. Inverter ratings of (0.22, 4 and 6) kVA were selected for the respective outlets. (1, 4, and 4) numbers of 12 V deep cycle batteries of (100, 150 and 150) AH were selected. Electricity generator capacities selected were (1, 4 and 6) kVA respectively.

Reactive Power Compensation Using Electric Vehicle and Data Center by Integrating Virtual Power Plant

This article proposes a virtual power plant (VPP) theory for reactive power support consisting of electric vehicle (EV) and data center (DC) UPS battery energy storage in the power system. As enhanced grid regulations have been developed to enable large-scale distributed generation, progressive controllers are required for reactive power control considering nonlinear and industrial type load. Data center batteries are deep cycle batteries; they discharge over a much longer time and EV batteries also have great potential to absorb/release electricity from/back to the grid when needed. This paper presents the bidirectional VPP operation with a novel virtual synchronous generator (VSG)-driven reactive power controller for reactive power support. Four case studies are performed in MATLAB/Simulink platform to evaluate the performance characteristics, which include grid import/export operations, time-varying nonlinear load conditions, nonlinear industrial load conditions, and transient disturbance conditions. The obtained results validate the reactive power support in all discussed case studies.

The Implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) on an Automatic Plant Watering and Fertilizing System Based on Solar Electricity

This research aimed to design a plant fertilizing and watering system that can be controlled and observed through a smartphone and use the solar electric energy source. The results of this study can ease the work of farmers in terms of energy and cost because they allow the fertilizing and watering processes to run automatically. The system is assembled using the following components: 100WP solar module, 30A solar charge controller, deep-cycle battery, Arduino Uno, ESP8266WiFi, DHT11 sensor, soil moisture sensor, and 12V DC electric solenoid valve. This system works in the following way: if the soil moisture sensor reads that the soil is dry and if the air temperature sensor reads that the air is cool, then the microcontroller will order electric faucets to drain water containing fertilizer to the ground until the soil becomes wet. This system is supported by connection to the Internet so it can be controlled and observed from an Android-based smartphone. The calculation conducted in an economic analysis of the system yielded cost principal of Rp47.6/l and BEP for production of 11,389 l/year.

Design of Off-Grid Hybrid Energy for Residential Buildings in Rural Areas: A Case Study of Arogbo Community in Ondo State

This paper developed an off-grid hybrid energy system for residential buildings in rural areas. The Arogbo community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria, was used as case study. Energy Audit of the selected residential buildings was carried out through the administration of structured questionnaires and oral interaction with occupants. Information obtained was used to evaluate the total power estimate and actual consumption over a period of 6 hours per day. The total energy demand for the study area based on the number of appliances used per day was estimated as 4981.684 kW. The energies required for three different categories of accommodation: [three-bedroom (Luxury), three-bedroom (Convenience) and room with parlour living apartment] in the area were estimated as 10.015 kWh, 3.216 kWh, and 1.736 kWh respectively. Their total photovoltaic (PV) energy system capacities were estimated as 13.53 kWh (16.91 kVA), 4.342 kWh (5 kVA), and 2.344 kWh (2.93 kVA) with power factor of 0.8 respectively. The PV solar modules for the three-bedroom (luxury), three-bedroom (convenience) and room with parlour living apartment were estimated as (3.38, 1.08 and 0.59) kW with installation areas of (31, 10 and 5.5) m2; and inverter rating of (6, 1 and 1) kVA were selected respectively. The deep cycle batteries selected were (4, 2 and 2) at 12 V of (150, 150 and100) AH. Electricity generator capacities selected were (6, 1 and 1) kVA respectively.

Design of Off-Grid Hybrid Energy for Residential Buildings in Rural Areas: A Case Study of Arogbo Community in Ondo State

This paper developed an off-grid hybrid energy system for residential buildings in rural areas. The Arogbo community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria, was used as case study. Energy Audit of the selected residential buildings was carried out through the administration of structured questionnaires and oral interaction with occupants. Information obtained was used to evaluate the total power estimate and actual consumption over a period of 6 hours per day. The total energy demand for the study area based on the number of appliances used per day was estimated as 4981.684 kW. The energies required for three different categories of accommodation: [three-bedroom (Luxury), three-bedroom (Convenience) and room with parlour living apartment] in the area were estimated as 10.015 kWh, 3.216 kWh, and 1.736 kWh respectively. Their total photovoltaic (PV) energy system capacities were estimated as 13.53 kWh (16.91 kVA), 4.342 kWh (5 kVA), and 2.344 kWh (2.93 kVA) with power factor of 0.8 respectively. The PV solar modules for the three-bedroom (luxury), three-bedroom (convenience) and room with parlour living apartment were estimated as (3.38, 1.08 and 0.59) kW with installation areas of (31, 10 and 5.5) m2; and inverter rating of (6, 1 and 1) kVA were selected respectively. The deep cycle batteries selected were (4, 2 and 2) at 12 V of (150, 150 and100) AH. Electricity generator capacities selected were (6, 1 and 1) kVA respectively.

Design, Sizing and Optimization of a Solar- Wind Hybrid Power System

Design, sizing and optimization of a solar-wind hybrid power system was carried out to determine its economic feasibility using Hybrid optimized model for electric renewable (HOMER) software aimed at selecting the most feasible configuration based on the net present cost to meet the load demand of 425 W for the appliances in a departmental office at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi. The simulation results were used to develop a working prototype by sizing the four major components: the solar panels (350 W), a wind turbine (100 W), 2 battery systems of 12 V/200Ah and a charge controller (35.4 A) to regulate battery charging. The efficiencies of the wind turbine, PV solar panels and the inverter system were 48, 29.2 and 50 % respectively. The contribution of PV was 98 % and that of the wind turbine was 2 % due to low average wind speed (1.96 m/s at 15 m) from February to April. The results showed that solar energy contributed more to the charging of the inverter than the wind energy due to the high favorable solar insolation in the region. The optimized system configuration was chosen and this was based on the net present cost, levelized cost of energy and its renewable fraction respectively. The results demonstrated that the best hybrid combination consists of 0.35 kW PV Panels, 1 unit of 0.1 kW wind turbine, 2 units of deep cycle batteries (12V each/200Ah) and 1 unit of 1600 W Inverter. The prototype of the solar - wind hybrid power system based on the optimized components met the load demand for the basic appliances in the office. The results can be expanded to cover the entire department and the templates so obtained can be used generally within the University Community.

FPGA-Based Single-Phase PV Inverter Using Unipolar and Bipolar SPWM Control Techniques

The study presents circuitry modeling and methodology to integrate solar photovoltaic (PV) energy with grid (AC) sources to supplement household appliances during a power cut-off or restricted supply period and alternating charge deep cycle batteries. This paper discusses an FPGA-based Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) generator as a control mechanism for a PV/Battery full-bridge inverter. The inverter's efficacy is expressed as the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) ratio, which must be as low as possible. Various schemes are proposed to reduce THD to generate a more sinusoidal output wave. SPWM is mostly used in industrial inverters. Two SPWM techniques, Bipolar and unipolar, are compared under a variety of Modulation Index (MI) conditions and Carrier Frequency (fc) to analyze the best performance of the full-bridge inverter with less (THD) and smoother output sinewave. The present paper discusses the results of a simulation for a single-phase full-bridge inverter employing bipolar and unipolar SPWM techniques. The output waveform demonstrates that the Unipolar SPWM technique produces less Total harmonic Distortion than the Bipolar method, with THD 45% lower. ISE 14.7 and Matlab 2019 are used to present, simulate SPWM generating code, and implement the design on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), which acts as a controller for the Mosfet gates in the full-bridge inverter to constitute a sine wave without changing any hardware configuration in the circuit design. The system implementation of SPWM Pulse generation has been validated on Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA (XC6SLX45) board using VHDL code. The final test on the system design for the SPWM generation program, after synthesis and compilation were finalized and verified on a prototype system.

Performance Analysis of a Rooftop Hybrid Connected Solar PV System

In the present work, a 5-kW hybrid PV solar system was installed on the roof of a house in Diyala, Iraq (33.77° N, 45.14° E elevation 44 m). The system consists of two strings, where each string consists of nine polycrystalline PV modules with 355 Wp in series, and the two strings are in parallel. The energy storage system (ESS) consists of two parallel strings, each with four 12 V and 150 Ah tubular deep cycle batteries in series. A hybrid inverter of 5 kW rated power was operated in different modes. The results showed that May’s monthly energy consumption was about 822.9 and 1085 kWh, respectively. The percentage distribution of the DC energy produced was about 1% system energy losses, 27.9% was used to charge the ESS, 34.3% was used to feed the grid, and the remaining 37.64% was used to share the load. The energy percentage sharing the load was 16.67% from ESS, 33.33% from the PV system, and 50% purchased. The average daily reference, array, and final yields were 6.07, 4.327, and 3.991 h/day, respectively. The average array and load efficiencies were 12.3% and 92.24%, with the performance ratio at 65.4%.

Performance and Harmonic Evaluation of a Modified Sinewave 1kVA Solar Powered Inverter

An inverter is a device that takes a direct current input and produces a sinusoidal alternating current output. It maintains a continuous supply of electric power to connected equipment or load by supplying power from a separate source, like battery, when utility power is not available. It is inserted between the source of power and the load is protecting. This paper evaluates and analyses the harmonic characteristics of a 1kVA solar powered inverter under different load conditions. The performance of inverter is affected by the presence of harmonics which is generated from non-linear loads as used in PV systems (i.e inverter) which in turn consequently affects the inverter output voltage and waveform. The methods used comprises of 12V, 250W solar panel connected to a 30A pulse width modulation (PWM) charge controller and a 12V, 100Ah deep cycle battery was connected to the controller to enable charging of the battery while a 1kVA, 220V inverter was connected to the battery to produce the AC output needed. The performance of the inverter was evaluated and analyzed from the load test results and harmonic characteristics occurring in the inverter output voltages and waveforms were obtained using DENT Power meter. The parameters were taken at an interval of minutes and it was observed that the nonlinear loads have more harmonics injection effects on the output waveforms of the inverter. The paper recommends on best practices and further research to identify harmonic constraints in PV inverters, and on the application of mitigation techniques that lead to more PV penetration without sacrificing the safety and reliability of the distribution networks.

Dual power sources with photovoltaic and small water turbine for generating electric supported flood mitigation

This study aims to investigate the electric generation systems used for flood relief by integrated photovoltaic with a small water turbine. Solar panel type of polycrystalline by size of 330 Wp and area of 2 m2 was parallel connected to the small water turbine with dimension of 1.24 m width and 2 m length. The Bankie wheel turbine has 1 m diameter with 12 blades. The flat blades has area of 0.30 m2 constructing on the floating tubes. The floating tubes fabricated across the wheel turbine dues to protect the turbine from flooding debris and it control the turbulent stream to be the laminar stream. The solar panel fabricated as the roof of the water turbine on the iron structure dimension of 1 m width, 2 m length and 1.40 m height. The photovoltaic was tested under
 the conditions of solar intensity ranged from 976.63 W m–2 to 1,139 W m–2 and ambient temperature of 29 oC. In standard conditions of solar intensity, the efficiency of photovoltaic obtained by 16.30% and fill factor of 0.96. Deep cycle battery 45 Ah and DC/AC inverter 12 V 500 Wp were connected to the generating system. The gearing ratio of wheel turbine to generator’s axle was 1:7 to generate electric from water stream. The relationship of turbine rotation and the generator rotation was performed in laboratory experiment that found to be linear. The voltage obtained by 9.30 V at the generator rotation of 174 rpm. The power producing from photovoltaic and small water turbine obtained total load by 350 W for lamps, fans, and mobile chargers. The dual power sources can be used for producing electrical supply whenever people islanding in flood disaster.

Solar photovoltaic (PV)‐driven active crop drying system for plantain (MUSA SPP): Design, development, and performance evaluation

AbstractA solar photovoltaic (PV)‐driven active crop drying system comprising a solar air heater, a three‐tray drying chamber and a data logger was designed and fabricated. Drying system is equipped with three DC fans of 18 W each, powered by 150 W mono‐crystalline, solar PV module, and 180 Ah deep cycle battery storage. Purpose‐built data logger constructed with a 60‐pin Arduino‐mega microcontroller and equipped with a digital dual‐display screen was used to acquire real‐time data on relative humidity and temperature at vital points in the drying system. Performance evaluation of the dryer was carried out while studying the drying characteristics of plantain chips at three thicknesses of 0.7, 1.0, and 1.5 cm. Drying characteristics were presented in graphs of moisture content (MCdb) versus time, moisture ratio (MR) versus time, and drying rate (DR) versus time for the different trays. Final moisture contents of the plantain chips were 10, 14, and 21% for the 0.7, 1.0, and 1.5 cm, respectively, in the three trays. The higher figures for the 1.0 and 1.5 cm levels of thickness are attributable to case hardening. Results showed that drying proceeded mainly in the falling rate period. Graphs of MR and DR showed that the drying process was more effective as the chips became thinner. Evaluation of 10 thin‐layer drying models carried out using the acquired data showed that the Wang and Singh model was the best suited for describing the drying characteristics of plantain.Practical applicationsThe results of the present work will be very useful to food processing companies producing Plantain chips for local consumption and export. A good knowledge of the best suited thin‐layer drying model will help to predict the MR (and hence MC) as a function of drying time. In this way, energy might be saved and product quality guaranteed. In addition to quality assurance applications, the effect of layer thickness on drying characteristic would be very useful in prescribing the optimal thickness of the chips being processed.

Design Analysis of 7.5KW Stand Alone Solar Photovoltaic Power System for an Intermediate Household

Aim: Design Analysis of 7.5KW Stand-alone Solar Photovoltaic Power System for an Intermediate Household.
 Methodology: A design analysis of standalone 7.5KW PV system was carried out using PV modeling equations based on load estimated. The analyzed data of the solar photovoltaic components was used to determine the estimated output power of 7.5KW. Therefore, a number of modeling equations and methodologies for designing a PV system based on application have been developed and simplified in order to ensure the optimum performance of the system. The analyzed solar powered 7.5KW system was achieved by designing 24 solar panels of 335W each, 16 deep cycle battery of 200A each, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) charge controller of 60A to monitor the output of the battery for safety operation. The battery will be connected to the inverter circuit (DC-AC) to generate 220V alternating current in its output via a step-up transformer. In this paper, design analysis of a standalone PV system enables of producing power to a household with approximate consumption of 7.5KW was conducted. 
 Results: The standalone PV system along with the cost implications was analysed and designed. In this analysis a sequential design plan of an independent standalone solar powered photovoltaic structure was analysed and overviewed to supply continuous and uninterrupted power to a typical utility with maximum power consumption of 7500W (7.5KVA). The calculated/computed values of all the components yield a result that can serve the purpose. Based on the design analysis, the result implies that the estimate consumption of 7.5KW in a day requires 24 PV panels of 335 Watts each, 16 (12V, 200Ah) batteries, 10KW inverter, (12V, 60A) charge controller and copper wire of cross-sectional area (1.688mm2) for installation. 
 Conclusion: In Nigeria, to generate a solar power of 7.5KVA requires almost $15,585.70 which is equivalent to N 5,965,426.66.

An Investigation into Conversion of a Fleet of Plug-in-Electric Golf Carts into Solar Powered Vehicles Using Fuzzy Logic Control

This paper presents an investigation factors that need to be considered in the design and selection of components for the conversion of a fleet of plug-in electric golf carts at Princess Nourah Bint Abdelrahman University, (PNU), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), into solar power energy. Currently, the plug-in electric golf carts are powered by a set of deep-cycle lead-acid battery packs consisting of six units. Solar energy systems (photovoltaics and solar thermal) provide significant environmental benefits and opportunities over the traditional and conventional sources. Therefore, they can contribute positively to many aspects of the built environment and societies. There are many factors that affect the energy generated from the solar panel system. These include type and dimension of the solar panels, weight, speed, acceleration, and other characteristics of the used golf carts, and the energy efficiency of the solar energy system, as main factors that affect the green energy generated to operate the carts. The energy values needed to power the electric cart were calculated and optimized using traction energy calculation and optimized using a fuzzy logic analysis. The fuzzy logic system was developed to assess the impacts of varying dimensions of solar panel, vehicle speed, and weight on the energy generation. Initial calculations show that the replacement cost of the batteries can be up to approximately 75 percent of the operating cost. Together with the indirect cost benefits of achieving zero tail-pipe emission and the comfort of silent operation, the cost of operation using solar energy can be significant when compared with the cost of battery replacement. In order to achieve better efficiency, supercapacitors can be investigated to replace the conventional batteries. The use of fuzzy logic successfully facilitated the optimization of system operation conditions for best performance. In this study, fuzzy logic and calculated data were used as an optimization tool. Future work may be able to use fuzzy logic with experimental data to demonstrate feasibility of utilizing fuzzy logic systems to assess energy generation processes. Future investigations could also include investigation of other factors and methodologies, such as various types of batteries, supercapacitors, solar panels, and types of golf carts, together with different techniques of artificial intelligence to assess the optimum system specifications.

Solar-Powered Convenient Charging Station for Mobile Devices with Wireless Charging Capability

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and music players, have been increasingly popular. There is a strong demand for charging stations for these devices, especially in public places, such as bus stops, parks, beaches, schools, hospitals, and playgrounds. This project designs a convenient charging station for the mobile devices. It is renewable and supportive for diverse charging needs. The system key design parameters are: 200-W solar panel, 12-V 900-Wh deep-cycle lead acid battery, 300-W 120-VAC pure sine-wave inverter, 8 outlets (2 wireless, 4 DC USB and 2 AC). It aims to supply an average load of 175Wh. A prototype of the station is built and tested. The testing results show that the station works properly. The control system switches the outlets on and off accurately based on the battery available energy. On a sunny day, with the solar panel and the battery operational, the system can support a full load of 150Wh until the sun is gone. When operating without the solar panel using the fully-charged battery, the system can last at least 1.5 hours. The station can serve as a convenient power source. It helps promote the use of solar energy that is beneficial to the environment