Week #2 Post - LabVIEW, Preliminary Product Description

ECEP 490 Solar Energy Engineering

Dr. Scoles

Spring 2012

Preliminary Product Description

Educational Solar Energy System

Product Description (goals for the system, intended audience, critical “selling” features)

            For communicating with the system, LabVIEW^TM will be used. Since we are not sure if LabVIEW^TM is able to communicate with the meterbus we may end up using the software provided in the equipment datasheet. We are going to simulate data from the charge controller. The variables of interest are efficiency, state of Charge, Current and Voltage from the batteries. Our intended audience would be the chosen High School students. We are showing them that the photovoltaic cells, during the day, takes in sun and charges, and at night the energy collected is used.

Learning Goals

            Using Lab View’s easy to understand GUI’s we will allow the students to see the current state of the system. Some of the things the students will see & learn are…

1.    How the PV cells are connected in the solar panel?

2.    How the PV cells are affected by “peak” sun hours, partial shade and nighttime?

3.    How the efficiency of the solar cells would react to high temperatures?

     4. How the efficiency of the solar cells changes under different frequencies of          

         light?

*Since we don’t have access to the equipment this section is subject to change.

System Graphics (block diagram, schematic(s), system component layout, etc.)

We decided primarily on LabVIEW^TM to manipulate data. Generally it is easier to express complex ideas symbolically using a block diagram rather than simply telling the students what each block does. All the interconnections between blocks will be labeled so the students can understand what’s going on exactly. The block diagram itself will be that of interactive fashion and would be the most important part of the learning experience for the students.

Block Diagram of the System

Schematic of the System

Component Descriptions

Correspondingly, from the student’s perspective, there will be two components. The first component will be the host computer in which the LabVIEW^TM program will be run. The second component will be the system itself, which will be plugged into the host computer via a USB. The charge controller is the centerpiece of equipment. The charge controller would give us the state of charge, currents and voltage; it regulates the voltage so that it doesn’t overcharge. Everything plugs into the charge controller - the PV, and the 12-volt batteries which supply the load at night. Furthermore a inverter will be used to power a AC load. The host computer will be very powerful; it will permit the student to have access to everything. Because LabVIEW^TM is flexible there will be room for manipulation of further ideas if required.

Activities (what can be done with the system? Is it for teacher demo only, or is it student safe?)

The system will be student safe. Safety features will be implemented within LabVIEW^TM so that the students are unable to damage the system. The students will be able to vary the load and observe its characteristics and effects.