Conclusion

            By the end of the research study, the researcher will be able to produce a new development of photovoltaic-thermoelectric solar simulator. The researcher also will be able to understand the overall configuration off every device and instrument used. This project will provide an alternative way and efficient method in testing the solar panel by replacing the real sunlight with an artificial sunlight which come from the xenon lamp. This project will use the PV-TE hybrid system and the performance result produces will be observed to see the different on the electrical properties.

            Other than that, this project setup would have beneficial effect of permitting much less expensive installation for testing and development. Hence the test procedure can be used by manufacturers for testing of different type of PV tiles and combination of PV tiles in order to optimize its products for better efficiency.

Budget

Workplan

Benefit

The benefit of this project is:

• §  To provide an alternative way and efficient method in testing the solar panel by replacing the real sunlight with an artificial one.
• §  To provide a controllable indoor test facility under laboratory conditions.

Objectives

• To develop a hardware of PV-TE portable  solar simulator
• To evaluate the performance of the PV-TE  using LabVIEW software
• To see the different on efficiency of the PV panel and the PV-TE panel. 

Methodology

Problem Statement

In order to produce a voltage from a solar panel, it will need energy from the sun. But sometimes the process can be stalled as the weather keep changing and blocking the sunlight. Photovoltaic solar panel power production works most efficiently in cold temperatures. Cold, sunny environments provide optimal operating conditions for solar panels. In Malaysia, the weather keeps changing throughout the day. This eventually will stop any testing on a solar panel as there is no sunlight. In order to overcome the problem, this project is made so that the testing can be done anytime during the absence of sunlight.

Temperatures also contribute a small problem on the photovoltaic (PV) which their optimum temperature should be around 25°C. Whenever the temperature increases above than 25°C, the efficiency and the output produce will be decreases. With the ambient temperature of 34°C in Malaysia, it surely gives disadvantages on the photovoltaic panel. It is quite difficult for making sure that that the temperature is fixed at 25°C when being exposed to sunlight, but what we can do is to absorb the heat produced by the peltier and convert it into electrical energy. The peltier will be placed at the bottom of the PV which will also act as a heat sink and lower down the temperature.