Abstracts

With fuelhikesmakingnews,solar energyisthemostsought afterenergysource.Solar

chargersaresimple,portableand readytousedeviceswhichcan
beusedbyanyoneespeciallyinremoteareas.Going solarcan solve morethan
oneproblems,rightfrom cuttingdownoncarbon emissionsanddependenceon
fuels,tosolving theenergycrisis.Thisprojectaimsto make
asimplesolarchargerwhichcan beusedon the
go.Solarpanelsdontsupplyregulatedvoltagewhilebatteriesneedsoforcharging.Hence,
anexternaladjustablevoltageregulatorisused tohavethedesired constantvoltage.
Azenerdiodeswitchesonto ensurecharging iscut ofatthesaturation point.
Introduction
Gonearethedayswhenyou would lookup attheSunand curseyourselfforbeingoutona
hotsunnyday. Takepride;very soonyouwillbeawalking energystationwith people
asking youto helpthemchargetheirbatterieswithyourclothes!

Thisisnt asceneoutof a Sci-Fimovie.

Itisthesimpleapplicationofsolarcells.Theyaretheonlyway wecan
convertsunlightintoelectricitydirectlyand daybydaytheyaregetting better,smallerand
cheaper.

Nothing can darechallenge thesunwhen it

comestoradiatingenergy.Everyhourtheenergyavailablefrom thesun
ismorethanwhathumansrequireforanentireyear.Petrol,dieseland all
thesefossilfuelsarenothing butsunsenergyconcentrated overyearsand
years.Thismakesthem veryefficientintermsof energyperunitofthefuel.So whynot tap
itdirectly?

Solarenergyisntsomethingnew.Peoplehaveusedsuntodryand preservethings.
VedicliteraturesinIndia evenstatetheuse offlying machineswhichwerepoweredusing
st
thesun.Come21 century,wehavecomea longwayin developing
solarcellswhicharethedevicespowering ourfuture,convertingsunsenergyinto
electricity.

Solarpanelsaresimplysolarcellslined uptogetherin seriesand

parallelsoasgetsufficientvoltage andarep-n junction semiconductordeviceswith
puresiliconwaferdoped withntypephosphorouson thetop and ptype boronon
thebase.IfthePV cellisplaced inthesun,photonsoflightstriketheelectronsinthep-
njunction and energizethem, knocking themfree of theiratoms. These
electronsareattracted tothepositivechargein then-type siliconand
repelledbythenegative chargein thep-
typesilicon.Connectingwiresacrossthejunctionwillhave a currentinthem.
Solarcellshavecomealong wayfrombulky6% efficientchunkstothin filmswithasmuch
as30%efficiency.Theyaresellinglikehotcakestodaygiven theirnecessity and utility.
And thereason beingtheyarefaithfulgoodchapsunlikeoil
whichwillsoonbemoreprecioustousthan
diamondsandtheblackmonster:coalwhichhaspollutedtheair, hand in
cufwiththeotherfossilfuels.

We need tounderstandsolarpanelssoastounderstand theirapplications.

Today,wehave mono-crystalline,polycrystallineand amorphousthin filmpanels.Mono-
crystallinearesofarthemostefficient,giventhattheyhavethemaximumsiliconina
unitareaso morecurrentforthesamenumberof photons.Theyare madeoutof
asinglesilicon crystalas a continuouslattice.While forthepolycrystallinepanels,molten
siliconispoured into moldsand separateboundariescan beseen duetothis.
Lesserquantityofsilicon in a unitareameanslesserefficiencyofproductionofelectricity.
Amorphousthin filmpanelsarelayersofsilicononaglasssurfaceand
aretheleastexpensive. Hence,theyareusedinapplicationswhereyou
candoawaywithefficiencyforloweringthecosts.

Solarpanelsarereallyusefulin broad daylightbutweneedenergywhen

theSunisntshining above ourrooftops.Thatswhywe need
solarchargerswhichwillstoreenergyin rechargeablebatteries. Thisprojectaimsto
makeasolarchargerusing avoltageregulatorICsoastocharge aLead Acid
Batterywiththeconstantoutputvoltageobtained through
thisICLM317(Detailsexplainedlater).
TodaytherearemanymoreoptionslikeaSOLARCHARGERICLT3652.Thisisan
ICwithembeddedMPPT
(MaximumPowerPointTracking)algorithm.MPPTsimplymeanstheICgetsthe maximum
possiblepowerfromthesolarpanelbysamplingitsoutputand
applyingtheproperloadresistance. Thissmall chipsimplifieslifegiven itseaseofuseand
maximumefficiencyisalwaysensured.

Source:Wikipedia

Even15%efficientsolarpanelsinstalled acrossthe
worldswasetelandscanproduceenough cleanenergyto sustainmankindfor ayear.

Yetnew technologyiscontinuouslybeing
developedthoughsolarenergygenerationisstillin itsinfancy.TheconceptofSOLAR
FARMINGisnewandcatchingup fastin investors. Indiaisa tropicalcountry andcan soon
becometheSaudiArabia ofsolarenergy.With ConcentratedPhoto Voltaics(CPV :
whichincreaseefficiencybyconcentratinglargeamountof sunlighton the solarcellsusing
mirrors)comingupin India, we aredefinitelyheaded towardsacleanerfuture.
Reducing dependenceon fossilfuelsand cutting down onour carbonemissionsis
oneofthemostimportantaspectsofsolarenergy.
Anothercrucialpointisitcanmakeanycountry,especiallytropicalones likeIndia,self-
sufficientin energy.Withambitiousprojectlikethe
NationalSolarmissionsaimingatproducing
20GW(Indiasenergyconsumption2012:100GWoutof
which1GWwasSolarenergy)by2020is a bigstep toward
progress.Ruralareasarenowlitupwith solarlamps. Solarparksarealso anemerging
trend with
CharankaSolarPark,Gujaratproducing20MWofenergy.Governmentisalsotaking
initiativesto encouragepeopleto makeuse ofthesunbysubsidizing
electricitybillsforconsumersusingthesolar panels.
Soifyoumakemoreenergythanyouuse,youwillend upin aprofitwithouteven burning
acalorie!

Going Solarisexcitingbutsomechallengesalsoneed tobe addressed.

Spaceconstraints,weatherconstraintsand expensivetechnologyinvolved
dohindertheprocess. Butwithincreasein productionand developmentof
technology,priceswillfall,demandsincreaseand we willbeliving in a
cleaner,saferenvironment,makingtheenergy we need.
Renewablesourcesofenergyalonecanensuresustainabledevelopment.Economicgrowt
hcan also beensuredbyenergyreaching toeach and everyhousehold inturn
increasingtheproductivityof industriesand standardoflivingof people. It is a
brightfuturewehaveaheadof us;theonly thing
isweneedtofocustheglareratherthanevading it.
Theory

SOLARPANEL, 5W,17.5V,
362X163X8MM
ICLM 317: Zenerdio
PowerRating:5WPowerVoltageMax:17.2VCurrentatPMax:290mAOpenCircuit Voltage:21.4VShortCircuitCurrent:320mA
AdjustableVoltageRegulatorso as tohaveconstatntvoltagecharging
SolarBatterychargerIC(LT3652)
Battery:Li-ion(3.7V,1400mAh)
forthebattery
cutofchargingafterbatte
LeadAcid Battery;
6V,5Ah

Thisprojectaimsto makeasolarchargercircuitusing ICLM317which isan

adjustablevoltageregulator.
Thissolarchargerthencharges aLead acidbatterywhich inturn willpoweroursolarlamp.

Note:Severaloptionsareavailablein solarchargercircuitsbut I
chosetohaveICLM317given thelimitationsin availability oftheICsaswellas
thelearninginvolved in having anentireanalog circuit ascompared tojusthaving
areadytouseSolarchargerIC.

ComponentsInvolved:

SolarPanel:Theheartofthecircuit. Ithasthefollowingspecifications:
i) Voc=17.4V
ii) Isc=0.33A
iii) Vmp=17.4V
iv) MaxPower=5W

Thisisour powersupply.Itisresponsibleforchargingthebattery.
 LM317:
Itisan
adjustablevoltageregulatorICwhichmeansitprovidesLineRegulation(irrespecti
veofthechangesintheinputvoltage,theoutputvoltageremainsconstant)and
LoadRegulation(irrespectiveofthechangesin loadtheoutput voltageisfixed).
We canadjustthe outputvoltagebyvaryingtheresistanceacrosstheadjustpin.
Thisisneeded tohave afixed voltage
acrossthebattery(tolimitthecurrentandchargeitatconstantvoltage).
Directlyconnectingthesolarpanelto thebatterymay even
explodeitduetothevaryingoutputfromit.
ThevoltageacrossR1 ismaintained to be1.25V usingan
internalcircuit.TheVoutisalsothenobtained tobeconstant and given by:
Vout =VR1*(1+R2/R1)+Iadj*R2.
ThisIadjisoftheorderofmicroAsocan beneglected tohavearegulated
outputvoltage.

Battery: (SEALEDLEADACIDBATTERY): Thiscircuitisdesigned fora6V,5Ah

battery. Thismeansa 5A currentwillcharge
thebatteryin1hour.Leadacidbatteriesarenotthebest availableoptionsin
rechargeablebatteries(unlikeportableandeasy to useLi-ionbatteries).
Butforsmall
 applicationslikeour solarlamp,theyaregoodenough. Caremustbetaken
whilehandlingacid

batteries.
Diodes(1N5812):Thesearesimply blocking diodeswhich ensure
thatthecurrentflowsonly inonewayso that thebatterydoesntdischargewhen
theoutput fromsolarpanelislow.
ZenerDiode(1N4736)and theTransistor(BC548):Thispart ofcircuitensuresthat
oncethecharging cut ofvoltage isreached
bythebattery,thechargingstops.TheZenerisrated at
6.8Vasbreakdown.Thisallowsall thevoltagetodrop
acrosstheZenerandthetransistorswitchesondue to biasing oftheBase-
Emitterjunction. Thetransistoractslikeaswitch
andoncethebatteryischarged,itdrawsallthecurrent thusprotecting thebattery.
Experiments
Note: Weconductexperimentsstep bystepto understand
howeachcomponentworksand thenassemblethecircuittogether.

1. TO studyhow solar panelsbehave to differentintensitiesoflight

Conditions Open circuitvoltageacrossthepanel
Coveredwith cardboard 0.263V
Facing thedesk 0.468V
CoveredwithPaper 2.5V
Atthewindow(11am) 14.72V
In thelab 7.62V
Atthedesk 5.2V
Using a torchlightat distance15cm 11.22V
Attheterrace(2pm) 21.2V(maximumVoc=21.4V)

Observations:Solarpanelsareheavilydependenton theintensityand
thenatureof lightfallingon them to produce anykind of
voltage.Theoutputvariesrightfrom0.2V to21.2V.

Conclusions:Sunlightmatters alot. Soto makethebest outofa fixed solarpanel,

weneedtohavesomekind ofpowertracking
whichwillalwaysallowthepaneltoproduce
amaximumpowerbyimpedancematching(externalresistoracrossthe cell).

2. To studytheworkingofICLM317(usingpower supply)

Conditions:R1=180Ohm,R2=500ohm

Vin Vref Vout Vi Iref( Iadj(u

n- mA) A)
6.85 1.22 4.64 V
2.12 6.81 19
V
8.30 5
1.22 V
4.65 V
3.67 6.815 53
V
10.5 5
1.22 7V
4.65 V
4.65 6.815 46.6
12.1 1.22 4.66 4.66 6.81 73
6v
15.6 5
1.22 7V
4.68 7v
11.0 6.81 99
8V
23.6 5
1.22 V
4.65 0V
18.1 6.817 41
7V 5 1V 9V

UsingSolarpanel

Conditions:R1=180Ohm,R2=500ohm

Vin Vref( Vout Iref( Iadj(u

V) mA) A)
4.85 1.22 4.64 6.81 19
V
6.30 5
1.22 V
4.65 6.815 53
V 5 7V
 7.59 1.22 4.65 6.815 46.6
V
8.16 4
1.22 V
4.66 6.81 73
v
10.6 5
1.22 7V
4.68 6.81 99
8V
11.6 5
1.22 V
4.65 6.817 41
7V 5 1V

Observations:TheoutputvoltagefromtheICisobserved tobenearlyconstantwith
the input-outputdiferentialvoltagerangingfrom 2.1Vto20V(Powersupplylimit).

Results:ICLM317givesaregulatedoutputfor a particularrangeof inputvoltage.

3. To understand the workingofLEDS

Conditions:R1=120ohm,R2=500ohm

Observations:LEDstartsglowingwith voltageacrossit>2.67V.
Maximum IntensityatVled=3.2V(Supply 25V). Atthatpoint,currentthrough the
LED=49.7mA.AfterthattheLEDblowsout.SotheLEDisratedat2.6V,49mA
practically.

4. To studyworkingofZenerDiodes

Setup:TheZeneristested foritsratingusing a powersupply,LEDand

aresistor.TheZenerconductsonlyafterthe
voltageacrossitis>6.78V(i.e.reversebreakdownvoltage). Thisiseasilyseen when
theLEDlightsup.
Observations:(Seriesresistor:1k)
Vin Vzener Led status
1V 0.3V OFF
3.2V 2.1V OFF
6.4V 4.5V OFF
10.5V 6.77V ON
12V 6.77V ON
5. To studythe dischargingofbatteries
Setup: thesealed leadacidbatteryavailableisfullycharged
withvoltageacrossitas6.39V.We need todischarge itto atleast5.8V soasto
chargeitusing oursolarchargercircuit.
For thisanemergencylamp wasusedtodischarge the5Ahbatteryasfastaspossible.
Observations:
Time(mins) Voltage(V)
0 6.17
15 6.146
30 6.120
45 6.099
60 6.082
120 5.981
150 5.89
*Batterydischarging depends on thecapacityofthebatteryand the
currentdrawn through it.Here,thecurrentdrawnwas140mA and henceto
totallydischarge a 5Ah battery,30hoursarerequired. Thisis
aslowprocess.Hence,weallowitonlytodischargeup to5.8V.

6. To lightup aLED
Setup:LEDsneedto betested
forspecificationsbecauseexperimentalandtheoreticalratingsdodifer.Thisisdone
usingthepowersupply firstly,then thesolarpanelisconnected to
ensuretheoutputmatch itsratings.
Observations:
With
powersupply
 Vin(attheIC) Vout Vled+Vresistor
10.62V 7.40V 7.12V

With solarpanel

6.51V 5.022V 5.144V

7. To studythechargingofbatteriesusingthesolarpanel
Setup:Batteryisfirstly discharged upto 5.99V andthen charged
usingthesolarpanel.
Readingsareconstantlymeasuredafterequalintervalsoftime.TwobulbsWhite
AndYellowusedto simulate sunlight.
 After15mins,

Observations:
Voc Vpan Ipan Vin(I Vop(I Vbattery(initi Aft Aft Icharg
el el C) C) ally) er1 er1 ing
16.7 7.96 10m 7.71 6.22 5.996V 0m
5.99 5m
5.99 1.733
V 1V A
Results:Thesun 7V 8V simulatorgivesan 7V 8V mA
inputof7.961Vto
thecircuit.Butthislimitstheoutputvoltageonlyto 6.228Vhencethecharging voltage
isreduced too.Thiscauses achargingcurrent of1.733mA which chargesthe5Ah
batteryveryslowly.
Conclusions
Solarpanelsareasgood aspowersuppliesof an averageof12V in
brightsunlight. Theonlyproblem isunregulated voltagedueto variation
inintensityof light.
IC LM317solvestheproblembyregulatingtheoutputvoltage butitagain
dissipated 2Vacrossitwhichmakesthesystem lessefficient
Solarchargercircuitsneedvoltageregulatorsso asto chargethebatteriesatconstant
voltage.
Thebatterycharging processshould bestoppedonce itisfully charged and
thisisensured usinga zenerwhich willstartconducting atthe cutofvoltage.
Thechargercircuitisa simple,readytouselead acidbatterychargerand isa good
wayto tapsunsenergyonthego.

Summary
Solarenergyisaclean energysourceanditishightimeweunderstand
itsimportanceandembraceitin ourdailylives.
Solarcellsaretheheart
ofanycircuit.Inthecircuitforthisproject,Solarpanelswereusedas
apowersupplyand fedintoavoltageregulatorsoasto havea constantvoltage
chargingfor thebattery.
Batteriesaretheeasiest
waytostoreenergy.Hencesolarchargercircuitsaimatchargingbatteriesrathe
rthan drivingcomponents.
RechargeablebatterieslikeLeadAcid,Li-ion and NiMHareused depending
ontheusersrequirements. Herewehaveused sealedLead Acidones.
Itisalso verynecessaryto cut ofcharging oncethe
batteryisfullycharged.Thisismanagedusing a
zenerdiodewhichswitchesonatthecut-ofvoltage and divertsthecurrentthrough
thetransistor.
Thebatteryisthuschargedatconstantvoltage and
atdesiredratedependingontheamountofcurrentsupplied.
Solarenergyisthe mostabundantbutleastused sourceofenergy.
Butitsthesolution to mostofour problems
Themajorchallengeswefacein goingsolarisexpensivetechnology,limited
spaceand energy.We need toaddressthem byhavingmore efficientmaterials
andmostimportantlyawarenessamong peoplesothat theyuseittotheirbenefits.