Project number
25032
Organization
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
1. Project description: Investing in solar power at a home or business location can often produce results that fall short of initial estimates. This may possibly be due to exaggerated claims made by solar providers, but it can also be the result of factors that were not included in a theoretical analysis: space limitations making it impossible to orient panels southward, mounting surfaces making correct tilt difficult to achieve or aesthetically undesirable, shading from nearby structures or vegetation reducing performance, inaccurate average exposure data for a particular location.
A portable kit could be designed to provide real-world power production data, improving estimates and installation outcomes. The kit must be battery-powered, designed for deployment on a flat or pitched roof with gravity mounts (no penetration of the roof). It must be easy to install, configure, move, and remove. It must be able to record solar panel performance over an extended weather period. If sufficiently rugged, the kit could be rented to reduce consumer cost.
The kit must a support wireless link to an analysis program recording performance and scaling results to estimate the utility of either solar panels alone (scaled to the efficiency of a selected solar panel) or, ideally, a complete installation (solar panels, solar controller, battery storage, inverter). The analysis must have either a library of current equipment or allow the user to input equipment specifications. Savings must be calculated using power company peak and off-peak rates, and they must be calculated over a 10-year period to support a return-on-investment decision when a consumer receives quotes from solar companies.
This project comprises two parts, the kit itself and the analysis program that processes data and produces a report.
Note that General Dynamics is not a solar provider, but its Rescue 21 program includes remote sites that could make use of solar power. Overall cost and performance may be improved for its customer if a solar system were installed.
2. Student learning experience: Hands-on experience designing and executing the test kit: design may include an Arduino microcontroller to manage battery charging, data storage, and wireless data transmission. Design would be a scale model of an actual system powering a home or remote site installation, minus the power inverter.
Analysis application would require software programming and HMI design for interaction with customers having little/no knowledge of solar power systems.
3. Required background: Background information required to successfully execute the project includes:
• C++ Programming (Arduino)
• Python web application development experience
• Basic physical design and assembly skills
• Some knowledge of solar power generation, control, storage, power inversion
• US Citizenship Required
A portable kit could be designed to provide real-world power production data, improving estimates and installation outcomes. The kit must be battery-powered, designed for deployment on a flat or pitched roof with gravity mounts (no penetration of the roof). It must be easy to install, configure, move, and remove. It must be able to record solar panel performance over an extended weather period. If sufficiently rugged, the kit could be rented to reduce consumer cost.
The kit must a support wireless link to an analysis program recording performance and scaling results to estimate the utility of either solar panels alone (scaled to the efficiency of a selected solar panel) or, ideally, a complete installation (solar panels, solar controller, battery storage, inverter). The analysis must have either a library of current equipment or allow the user to input equipment specifications. Savings must be calculated using power company peak and off-peak rates, and they must be calculated over a 10-year period to support a return-on-investment decision when a consumer receives quotes from solar companies.
This project comprises two parts, the kit itself and the analysis program that processes data and produces a report.
Note that General Dynamics is not a solar provider, but its Rescue 21 program includes remote sites that could make use of solar power. Overall cost and performance may be improved for its customer if a solar system were installed.
2. Student learning experience: Hands-on experience designing and executing the test kit: design may include an Arduino microcontroller to manage battery charging, data storage, and wireless data transmission. Design would be a scale model of an actual system powering a home or remote site installation, minus the power inverter.
Analysis application would require software programming and HMI design for interaction with customers having little/no knowledge of solar power systems.
3. Required background: Background information required to successfully execute the project includes:
• C++ Programming (Arduino)
• Python web application development experience
• Basic physical design and assembly skills
• Some knowledge of solar power generation, control, storage, power inversion
• US Citizenship Required