Capstone Project

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Group 2021-27 Status completed
Title An I x V Tracer for Photovoltaic (PV) Panels (2)
Supervisor Luiz A.C. Lopez & Chunyan Lai
Description Photovoltaic panels are nonlinear electric power sources whose output voltage and power vary with the current demanded by the load, temperature and age of the cells. There are a few commercial “I x V tracers” for plotting the I x V curves of solar panels/arrays. They employ variable/controllable impedances that can be essentially of three types: Linear resistance (MOSFET), switched DC-DC converters and inductor/capacitor with mechanical switch. The sensed voltage, current, solar irradiance and temperature are to be sensed and stored in a way that allows the plotting of I x V curve accurately and with reduced data storage requirements. A microcontroller is typically employed for controlling the variable impedance and collecting, storing and/or displaying the sensed quantities and curve. The objective of this project is the analysis, design and implementation of low-cost I x V tracers. The trade-offs between a simple variable impedance and a complex algorithm for sampling and storing the sensed quantities are to be considered. Suitable approaches for displaying the results/plots and transferring data to a memory stick, computer or the internet/cloud are to be developed. Working prototypes implemented on a printed circuit board (PCB) should be presented at the conclusion of the project.
Student Requirement ELEC-331 and ELEC-433
Tools PSIM, TI microcontroller, MATLAB
Number of Students 6
Students Zhihong Qian, Oleksandr Pysaryev, Yasser Edebbab, Omar Khalifa, Qingnan Li, George Coreli
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