JJS 002-2013 EMBEDDED BASED AUTOMATIC SOLAR RADIATION TRACKER FOR FARMERS PUMP S.Kanimozhi 1, Dr. K.Gopalakrishnan 2, Asst. Prof, Dept of Electronics, S.N.R. Sons College, Coimbatore, 641006. snrkanimozhi@gmail.com Research Supervisor, Dept of Electronics, S.N.R. Sons College, ABSTRACT The development of an Embedded Based Automatic Solar Radiation tracker for Farmers pump. Fossil fuels are a relatively short-term energy source; consequently, the uses of alternative sources such as solar energy are becoming more wide spread. To make solar energy more viable, the efficiency of solar array systems must be maximized. A feasible approach to maximizing the efficiency of solar array systems is sun tracking. This system controls the movement of a solar array so that it is constantly aligned towards the direction of the sun. The solar tracker designed and constructed in this project offers a reliable and affordable method of aligning a solar module with the sun in order to maximize its energy output. It is used to develop and atomize the solar farmers pump (water pump) considering the power supply, direct current (DC), Alternating current (AC), inverter frequency, a well, water level in the well, submersible mono-block pump. Here we introduce an advanced technique with GSM module. The solar pumps which work by utilizing the energy from the SOLAR ARRAYS and the power from the PV are stored in a battery. The power from the battery is inverted and given to the pump for irrigation. This pump is also controlled by the GSM module. The use of GSM mode is to start and stop working of pumps using mobile phone; the water level monitoring is also done by the GSM mode which this also provides the message for each hour. This is done with the embedded C in PIC16F877A microcontroller. The main advantage of this project is maximizing the solar energy, optimizing the power and also saving electricity. This proves an efficient and economy way of irrigation. Keywords: Embedded IC, GSM module, Solar Panel, Submersible mono-block pump, Water Level indicating sensor. INTRODUCTION To configure a solar cell unit, it faces the sun continually as it moves across the sky from east to west, we could get the most electrical energy possible. One way to do this, of course, is by hand. However, keeping a solar cell facing the sun throughout the day is not a very efficient use of a person s time. Going outside to a solar cell every hour to turn it toward the sun might be possible, but this would still not be an efficient method. A photo sensor is employed to control the solar cell tracking system. For example, if the photo sensor is not aligned with sun rays, then it could turn on the motor until it is once again aligned. If the motor is attached to the frame holding the solar cell, then the solar cell could be moved to face the sun. As long as the photo sensor is in alignment with the sun, nothing 104
happens. However, when the sun moves across the sky and is not in proper alignment with the photo sensor, then a motor moves the frame until the photo sensor is in the sun once more. This could have the effect of keeping the solar cell facing the sun as it moves across the required human attention. So we need a tracking system that would automatically keep the solar cell facing the sun throughout the day. We have to build an automated system of our own, using a single motor. The system includes a frame on which a solar cell could be mounted. The frame is to move so that it faces the sun as it travels across the sky during the day. The frame could be driven by an electric motor that turns on and off in response to the movement of the sky. Here in this thesis work, panel itself work as a sensor. This is used to develop the photovoltaic solar cells to power water pumps is widespread. It is often more viable than grid extension and avoids the volatility of costs together with uncertainty of supply associated with the provision of diesel fuel to remote diesel-powered pumps [1, 2]. Water pumping for irrigation and water supply for rural communities represents an important area of standalone PV systems. These systems usually consist of a PV generator, source of water, a water storage tank, and a motor pump. However, direct interfacing between PV generator and motor pump introduces significant mismatch problems as the light intensity varies. The mismatch can overcome by introducing a battery which stores the energy and provides constant output. This project uses the solar panel to track the solar rays from the sun and the energy is stored in a battery. Then it is converted by using converters to run the motor. This motor is controlled by microcontroller based GSM module. It also includes the water level sensors. The use of GSM mode is to start and stop working of pumps using mobile phone; the water level monitoring is also done by the GSM mode which this provides the message for each hour. The proposed techniques are implemented on a low cost 8-bit RISC microcontroller (PIC 16F877A) and it is programmed with the embedded in PIC controller. BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE HARDWARE DESIGN: Solar panel comprised of solar cells. Solar or PV cells are made of semi conducting materials that can convert sunlight directly into electricity. When sunlight strikes the cells, it dislodges and liberates electrons within the material which then move to produce a DC current. Battery used in this project is truck (automotive) batteries. Automotive batteries are designed to deliver very high current for short periods of time. Their main purpose is to start the motor. LCD is used in our proposed scheme to display the values of in-circuit current. For simulation purpose, we can use LCD in a 4-bit Mode. For that, we require only four data lines to be connected to the four port pins of PIC and three control signals to control the data flow and display. The stepper motor is an electromagnetic device that converts digital pulses into mechanical shaft rotation. The shaft or spindle of a stepper motor rotates in discrete step increments when electrical command pulses are applied to it in the proper sequence. The sequence of the applied pulses is directly related to the direction of motor shafts rotation. The speed of the motor shafts rotation is directly related to the frequency of the input pulses and the length of rotation is directly related to the number of 105
input pulses applied. In this project the stepper motor is used to rotate the solar module. In these systems with stepper motors need to control the acceleration/ deceleration when changing the speedsbridge inverter is used in this project. For the inverter Power supply of 5v which gives supply to the relay, microcontroller and water sensor. Microcontroller used in this project is PIC16F877A. The system is run from a stationary PC and phone line. In remote side, it is used a microcontroller. PIC microcontrollers have an inbuilt ADC. It consists of all peripherals such as memory, I/O ports, timers, and it is cheaper, more economical, simple, and easy to control compare to microprocessor units. Relay here acts as switch when it receives the signal from the controller it gets actuated and operates the motor and vice versa to stop it. The other end of the relay is connected to the Pic -Controller. GSM Module is designed to overcome many operational, monitoring and controlling issues for scattered remote sites and provide efficient and timely management of equipments, services and facilities Users can also send SMS to switch on/off different control devices that are connected to the GSM Modem output. Water level indicating sensor it is often necessary to measure the depth to water in a well. The depth to water influences pump selection and placement. It also determines the energy required to lift water to the surface in the pumping process. Water Level Indicator is a microprocessor-based water level measuring device consisting of a tankmounted sensor system (sensor plus sensor control box) and a remote digital display the entire system is powered by a lowvoltage transformer which permits safe and easy installation without an electrician. Depth indication is provided by numbered metal tags securely crimped to the cable at intervals of five feet or every meter on the metric model. The use of the two conductor cable makes a separate ground connection unnecessary so the instrument will function equally well in cased test holes or in uncased wells in rock. Submersible mono-block pump sets are particularly suitable for open wells. The farmers can overcome the water level fluctuation problem easily because this pump sets rest at the bottom of the well. In this project we use submersible mono-block pump set. Instead of that an open well mono-block pump set. Instead of that an open well mono-block pump set or submersible pumps can also be used. The pump with low current rating will give the maximum output and use the electricity more efficiently. OPERATION OF AUTOMATIC SOLAR RADIATION TRACKER FOR FARMERS PUMP 106
Polycrystalline photovoltaic module is used in this system and it is designed to track the maximum sunlight by stepping motor that is commanded by PIC microcontroller to get the maximum energy out of it. The energy received by the solar panel depends on the atmospheric conditions too. For example, when outside is cloudy, the solar energy received goes down to 10% from its initial value; in this situation it is not advisable to move the solar panel. The algorithm presented by us can foresee such a situation in which the program hibernate control action till the sun reappears. The sunrays are received by the solar panels, the solar array converts the light into electricity and the output is given to the battery, the battery stores the electricity and supplies during night times also. The output of the battery is given to the power supply and the inverter. We use 5v power supply which gives supply to the relay, microcontroller and water sensor. The output of the battery is given to the sine wave inverter which converts dc wave into ac wave form and the output is connected to the relay. The relay here acts as switch when it receives the signal from the controller it gets actuated and operates the motor and vice versa to stop it. The other end of the relay is connected to the pic controller. The pic controller is connected to the GSM module and the sensor. If the user wants to start the motor means he needs to send a SMS, the controller will verify the password and sends signal to the relay and activates it. Same process is followed to switch it off. The password for on and off is different. In mean time the sensor the relay here acts as switch when it receives the indicate the water level to the controller and in sends the information through SMS. The water level sensors also connected to the relay, if water is below the required level it sends the signal to the relay to turn it on and if it is above the maximum level it again sends the signal to turn it off. CONCLUSION In this project, the sun tracking system were implemented is based on PIC microcontroller. After examining the information obtained in the data analysis section, it can be said that the proposed sun tracking solar array system is a feasible method of maximizing the energy received from solar radiation. The controller circuit used to implement this system has been designed with a minimal number of components and has been integrated onto a single PCB for simple assembly. The use of stepper motors enables accurate tracking of the sun while keeping track of the array's current position in relation to its initial position. The automatic solar radiation tracker is an efficient system for solar energy collection. It has been shown that the sun 107
tracking systems can collect about 8% more energy than what a fixed panel system collects and thus high efficiency is achieved through this tracker. This method is the most effective and efficient method as it saves crores and crores of rupees for the government. By implementing the project we can turn the whole agricultural field to use electricity and water very efficiently and we atomize the whole operation as the owner can operate it from any place. This project is going to be the future of the field of agriculture. The moisture sensors, MPPT and others facilities will also be implemented in future depending upon the necessities. Tracking, IEEE Conference, Vol. 2, 21 25May, Page(s):1105-1109. 5 Odeh, I., Yohanis, Y.G, and Norton, B,[ 2006] Economic viability of photovoltaic water pumping systems. Solar energy, 80(7), 850-860. 6 S.Yuvarajan, Dachuan Yu and Shanguang Xu, A novel power converter for photo voltaic Embedded Controller in Farmers Pump by Solar Energy International Journal of Instrumentation, Control and Automation (IJICA) ISSN: 2231 1890 Volume 1, Issue 2, 201181applications Elsevier Journal of Power Sources REFERENCE 1 Aliman and Daut, [2007] Omar Aliman, Ismail Daut, Rotation-Elevation of SunTracking Mode to Gain High Concentration Solar Energy, IEEE Conference, 12-14, Page(s):551 555 2Armstrong and Hurley, [2005] S. Armstrong and W.G Hurley Investigating the Effectiveness of Maximum Power Point Tracking for a Solar System, IEEE Conference on Power Electronics, Page(s):204 209. 3Koutroulis [2001] Koutroulis, E.Kalaitzakis, K. Voulgaris and N.C., Development of a microcontrollerbased, photovoltaic maximum power pointtracking control system IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Volume 16, Issue1, Page(s):46 54 4 Saxena and Dutta, [1990] Ashok Kumar Saxena and V.K Dutta, A Versatile Microprocessor based Controller for Solar 108