Ecosense installed a Solar PV Training and Research System at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru National College of Engineering, Shimoga. Established to foster innovation-based research and industry collaboration, the college aims to address societal needs. In line with this mission, they have acquired Ecosense’s Solar PV Training and Research System.
Ecosense’s Solar PV Training and Research System
Ecosense’s Solar PV Training and Research System enables users to learn about Solar PV standalone technology. Using this system, a user gains knowledge in three fields of Solar PV Standalone systems:
1) Physics of Solar PV Panels — I-V and P-V characteristics, series, and parallel connection of solar panels effect of irradiation, effect of temperature, effect of shadow, effect of tilting of panels, effect of geographical location etc.
2) Components and Assembly of standalone system — use of blocking diode, use of bypass diode, use of solar charge controller, use of solar inverter, difference between MPPT and PWM charge controllers, AC load, DC load, battery charging/ discharging characteristics, assembly of several components and power flow calculations in each branch.
3) Research in PV systems — Ecosense separately provides a research unit along with a standalone experimental system. Users can initiate research in maximum power point tracking using this unit. It has the provision of providing automatic as well as manual gate signals to charge the controller. Users can use his/ her own MPPT algorithm with any of the controllers to provide manual gate signals.
Technical Benefits of Solar PV Training and Research System
• Incorporates an active measurement panel for precise monitoring of voltages, currents, and temperature
• Allows users to adjust Irradiation levels to mimic varying sunlight conditions, affecting Solar Panel temperature and enabling the study of I-V and P-V characteristics
• Facilitates both Series and Parallel Combination of Solar Panels
• Features an adjustable tilt mechanism for Solar Panels, enabling the examination of the impact of tilt angle on PV module Power
• Includes shading blades for studying the effects of shading on Solar PV
• Encourages hands-on learning by keeping internal connections open, allowing users to practice connecting different components for installing a standalone Solar PV power plant
• Enables power flow calculations for Standalone PV power plants using charge controllers, inverters, A.C. /D.C. loads, and batteries
• Offers the option to provide external gate signals to charge controllers via Function generators, investigating the effects of changes in Duty Cycle on PV Power
• Allows users to input external MPPT signals to study the effects of MPPT algorithms on PV Power
• Provides flexibility for users to implement custom MPPT algorithms to observe their impact on PV Power
• Offers real-time plotting of PV, IV, V vs. time, P vs. time, and I vs. time curves using proprietary PC Software
• Implements the Perturb and Observe MPPT Algorithm
• Utilizes IP 65-protected PV Panels for durability and longevity
• Equipped with a handheld Solar Insolation measuring instrument for accurate solar radiation measurements
• Includes an angle measurement instrument for precise panel positioning
• Data can be saved in CSV format for analysis and record-keeping
• Graphs can be saved in image format for documentation and presentations
Ecosense installed Solar PV Training and Research System at JNNCE Shimoga
Demonstration of Equipment Conducted
Ecosense also conducted a demonstration of equipment for training Professors and Scholars. This training program was focused on educating and training the professors, scholars, and technicians who will further train thousands of students and professionals to start their careers or business in this very field.