Solar panel array model for UI FESS development

The overall objective of this project is to develop a model of a PV (Photovoltaic) panel array using MATLAB and to then verify that model using hardware. The PV panel array will be used to supply power to a FESS (Flywheel Energy Storage System) that NASA is developing for energy storage on the lunar surface. The solar panel array model is needed for the University of Idaho’s low speed FESS development.

Background
•	NASA is developing FESS for space applications which include Mars colonization; a first step towards Mars colonization is lunar colonization.

•	Lunar colonization requires energy storage to bridge the gap between energy generation and energy demand (load).

•	The University of Idaho has developed a low speed FESS and is developing a high speed FESS.

•	A solar panel array model is needed for use in UI HS FESS development

Design Goal
The equipment needs to be able to handle the harsh environment on the lunar surface where it will experience temperatures. The PV array model must take into consideration the environmental conditions such as irradiance and temperature using the characteristics of a silicon wafer. Things like power output and voltage fluctuation needs to be taken into consideration as the FESS will regulate the voltage on the panel’s output. The model must be as simple as possible without sacrificing accuracy as the PV panel array will be a piece of a larger electro-mechanical system.

How a photovoltaic cell works
A photovoltaic cell is usually a semiconductor device that converts sunlight into electricity by the means of photovoltaic effect. When light falls on a solar cell, the incoming photons can be absorbed, reflected, or passed through it. For a photon to be absorbed by the solar cell, the energy of the photon must be greater than the band gap energy of the cell. The photon is then absorbed to generate pairs of mobile charge carriers (for example, electron and hole) which are then separated by the structure of the device (such as a p–n junction). This produces a potential difference and thus produces electrical current. The photovoltaic effect is shown by various materials. In most of the cases, semiconductor materials (like silicon) in the form of p–n junction are commercially used to produce solar cells.




 * A semiconductor p–n junction can be made to operate as a solar cell. Figure 1 shows the basic structure of a PV cell. When light is incident on the cell, the photons of light generate free electron–hole pairs which are then attracted toward the junction.

Design Specifications
The model should take inputs of temperature and irradiance that it would see on the lunar surface and give an output voltage and current. Temperatures ranging from -243°F (-153°C) to 253°F (123°C) Solar irradiance of about 100 W/m2 DC bus on the FESS typically operates at 24 V

Ideal cell model
In ideal condition, the solar cell is electrically equivalent to a current source in parallel with a diode as shown in Fig. 3a. The light-generated current, also known as photocurrent, is represented as IL, the diode current as ID, and the net current and terminal voltage of solar cell as Icell and Vcell , respectively.



System diagram




Meeting Minuets
9-12-17

9-19-17

9-26-17

10-3-17

10-10-17

10-17-17

10-24-17

10-31-17

Other Documents
Scope and Notes

Team Contract

Project Snapshot Poster

Reference

 * Altermatt, P. P. (2011). Models for numerical device simulations of crystalline silicon solar cells–a review. Journal of Computational Electronics, 10(3), 314–330. doi:10.1007/s10825-011-0367-6.


 * Archer, M. D., & Hill, R. (2001). Clean electricity from photovoltaics. London: Imperial College Press.


 * Bal, S., Anurag, A. & Babu, B.C. (2012). Comparative analysis of mathematical modeling of photovoltaic (pv) array. In India conference (INDICON), 2012 Annual IEEE (pp. 269–274).


 * Bendib, B., Belmili, H., & Krim, F. (2015). A survey of the most used MPPT methods: Conventional and advanced algorithms applied for photovoltaic systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 45, 637–648. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.02.009.


 * Brano, V. L., Orioli, A., & Ciulla, G. (2012). On the experimental validation of an improved five-parameter model for silicon photovoltaic modules. Solar Energy Materials & SolarCells, 105, 27–39.

Team Information


FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

{| class="wikitable"


 * style="text-align: center;" | Member
 * style="text-align: center;" | Biography
 * style="text-align: center;" | Discipline
 * style="text-align: center;" | Discipline


 * - align="center"
 * Haotian Wang
 * I am a senior student in electrical engineering at University of Idaho. I am a international student from China, Nanjing, Jiangsu province. I plan on graduating in May 2018, i love NBA and soccer.
 * Electrical Engineering


 * - align="center"
 * Mingyang Xu
 * Mingyang is a Senior in the Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho. He come from China and is a transfer student from Soochow university. He will graduate in May 2018. He plans on continuing his study in UI as a graduate student.
 * Electrical Engineering


 * - align="center"
 * Sean Daniel
 * I am a senior in Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho and am interested in working with power electronics and control systems. I plan on graduating in May, 2018 and am looking forward to working on modeling a solar panel array for the UI Flywheel Energy Storage System.
 * Electrical Engineering