SOLAR SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

Most of the people in Ghana with solar systems use them only when there is power outage, and it is my view that this is an under use of the solar power considering that we have abundant sunlight in Ghana. Solar panels are usually fixed and do not rotate to optimize the amount  of solar radiation hitting them.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:

   1. Splitting up the load in the house, so that some loads such as lighting would be on
       solar, while other loads would be fed by the grid, with control systems to easily  transfer 
       loads between the two.
  
   2. Synchronizing the solar supply with the grid supply, and put in place control systems to
       kick in the grid supply when solar energy cannot support the load.

I plan to design and implement both solutions, and in both cases the panel would be setup to align with the sun for maximum radiation to hit its surface.

   3. Alternative solutions are WELCOME!!

I am looking for a team to collaborate and work with, as my current job would prevent me from executing this project as fast as I usually do.

STAR-DELTA STARTER WITH VOLTAGE MONITORING USING PIC16F877

Note:

• Use variable resistors to simulate voltage errors
• Contactor Coils replaced with LAMPS

Features:

• Starts Motor on Star to reduce starting current and switches Delta after some time
• Monitors voltages and stops Motor when there is an Over-voltage or Under-voltage

Download Design files and Source code HERE!

SINGLE PHASE PREVENTER SYSTEM

FEATURES:
Switches of three phase supply when any Phase voltage dips below 200v
Switches of three phase supply when any Phase voltage rises above 280v
Switches system back on when voltages normalize
LCD to display STATE of system
Note*
Variable resistors in series with AC phases are to help simulate under and over voltages
Download Files Here!

AUTOMATIC BOOM GATE FOR TRAIN/ROAD INTERSECTION

FEATURES:
Shuts gate, turns traffic light red, sounds buzzer at start
Has four sensors all tied to the same 555timer
Uses PWM from Microcontroller for IR emitter
Has upper and lower limit switches to prevent gate from over shooting(these have to be activated manually during simulation)
Verifies to ensure that intruption is actually caused by a train(shortest train at highest speed determines shortest time that a train could possibly interrupt the sensor. Set to 5 seconds)
On detecting a train, Red traffic light comes on, buzzer sounds, gate closes
Note*
Red LED used in place of IR emitter(not available in ISIS)
Push button switch used in place of IR detector(not available in ISIS will have to be activated during simulation)
Download files Here!

DATA LOGGER

FEATURES:
Measures Voltage and Current values and logs them to EEPROM(bad idea)
Logs time and date together with measured values
 SETUP:
 At startup press INC key to set date, DEC key to set time
 In Date setup mode, press INC key to set year, DEC key to set month, AUX key to set day
 In Time Setup mode, press INC key to set hour, DEC key to set minute, AUX key to set second
 Use INC, DEC keys to increase or decrease values
Note*
Time may not be so accurate
Download Files HERE!