i

UNDERTAKING REGARDING ANTI-PLAGIARISM

I, hereby, declare that the material/content presented in the dissertation is free from plagiarism

and is properly cited and written in my own words. In case, plagiarism is detected at any stage, I

shall be solely responsible for it.

Signature of Student

Kashika Baranwal

04902082013

ii

CERTIFICATE

I hereby declare that the work presented here in the report has been carried out by me towards

the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY in

Robotics and Automation at Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi. The

material taken from other sources has been acknowledged. The results presented in this report

have not been submitted in part or full to any other university or institute for the award of any

degree.

(Kashika Baranwal)

04902082013

Date: 12.06.2015

This is to certify that project report entitled "Simultaneous Electricity Generation and

Hydrogen Production Using an Automatically Guided Solar System" being submitted by

Ms. Kashika Baranwal (04902082013) to the Department of Mechanical and Automation

Engineering, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the award of MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY in Robotics and Automation

is a record of the Dissertation work carried out by her under my guidance and supervision.

(Dr. O.K Singh)

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical & Automation Engineering,

Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women,

Kashmere Gate,

Delhi - 110006

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It has been a great pleasure working with the faculty, staff, and students at Indira Gandhi Delhi

Technical University for Women, Delhi, during my dissertation work. I would like to thank Head

of the Department, Dr. Nathiram Chauhan and various faculty members of the university who

helped me creating this project. I would also like to thank my supervisor Dr. O. K. Singh whose

supervision and suggestions helped me in making this project success. It has been an honor to

work under his guidance. He taught me the meaning of research and experimentation. I

appreciate all his contributions of ideas, dedication and time to make my experience productive.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my uncle and friends for their continuous support and

everlasting help throughout this project work.

KASHIKA BARANWAL

04902082013

iv

ABSTRACT

This project develops a methodology for the cogeneration system that employs solar energy for

electricity and hydrogen production. It deals with the design and construction of a small PV

system for hydrogen production equipped with a dual axis solar tracker system. The photovoltaic

module is connected to the hydrogen electrolyzer and its direction is controlled with the help of a

dual axis solar tracker. The amount of gas produced from electrolyzer unit is evaluated and the

performance of solar tracker is also inspected. The experimental setup raises good results for the

hydrogen production when PV is operated with dual axis solar tracker instead of connected

directly.

v

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Global growth rate of electricity consumption in India..................................................1

Figure 1.2 Carbon emissions from conventional power generation................................................2

Figure 1.3 Solar radiation spectrum.................................................................................................4

Figure 1.4 Azimuth and Altitude angle............................................................................................6

Figure 1.5 Zenith angle....................................................................................................................7

Figure 1.6 Air mass of the atmosphere............................................................................................7

Figure 1.7 Phenomenon causing losses in irradiance......................................................................9

Figure 1.8 Revolution in solar-PV technology..............................................................................12

Figure 1.9 Global electricity generation from solar-PV from 2004 to 2013.................................12

Figure 1.10 Solar Water Heater.....................................................................................................14

Figure 2.1 An active solar tracker..................................................................................................18

Figure 2.2 A passive solar tracker..................................................................................................19

Figure 2.3 Single axis solar tracking..............................................................................................20

Figure 2.4 Dual axis solar tracking................................................................................................21

Figure 3.1 Block diagram of proposed design...............................................................................28

Figure 3.2 Work flow of proposed design ....................................................................................30

Figure 4.1 Mechanical structure for tracker...................................................................................32

Figure 4.2 Developed model of mechanical structure...................................................................33

Figure 4.3 SolidWorks model of mechanical structure in X, Y, Z-coordinates............................34

Figure 4.4 Rotated view of mechanical structure in solidworks....................................................34

Figure 4.5 Front view of mechanical structure in solidworks.......................................................35

Figure 4.6 Counter load used in mechanical structure...................................................................39

Figure 4.7 Counter Weight Calculations.......................................................................................40

Figure 5.1 Electrolysis Unit...........................................................................................................43

Figure 5.2 Block diagram of PV-Electrolysis................................................................................44

Figure 5.3 Fuel Cell.......................................................................................................................49

Figure 5.4 Proposed design for electrolyzer..................................................................................52

Figure 5.5 Actual Experimental setup of electrolyzer...................................................................53

vi

Figure 5.6 Actual Graphit Electrode..............................................................................................58

Figure 5.7 Graphite electrodes placed at the base of container.....................................................58

Figure 5.8 Pressure Gauge.............................................................................................................59

Figure 6.1 Proposed Circuit Diagram of solar tracker...................................................................61

Figure 6.2 Circuit diagram of solar tracker in Proteus...................................................................61

Figure 6.3 DC gear motor..............................................................................................................63

Figure 6.4 Equivalent circuit diagram of DC motor.....................................................................64

Figure 6.5 Torque Speed curve of DC motor..............................................................................67

Figure 6.6 Light dependent resistor...............................................................................................68

Figure 6.7 Comparator IC-LM339.................................................................................................69

Figure 6.8 Pin Description of LM 339...........................................................................................69

Figure 6.9 Relays...........................................................................................................................71

Figure 6.10 Pin diagram of relay...................................................................................................71

Figure 6.11 Resistor.......................................................................................................................72

Figure 6.12 Transistor....................................................................................................................72

Figure 6.13 Pin diagram of diode..................................................................................................73

Figure 6.14 7805 Voltage Regulator..............................................................................................74

Figure 6.15 Buck Converter IC.....................................................................................................75

Figure 6.16 Operation of Buck Converter in On state...................................................................76

Figure 6.17 Operation of Buck Converter in Off state..................................................................77

Figure 6.18 Graph showing output of Buck Converter..................................................................78

Figure 6.19 Dotted and Layout PCB..............................................................................................80

Figure 6.20 Storage Battery...........................................................................................................81

Figure 6.21 Charge controller........................................................................................................83

Figure 6.22 Stages of charging in a controller...............................................................................83

Figure 6.23 Ammeter and Voltmeter connection with load..........................................................85

Figure 6.24 Connection of charge controller with battery and load..............................................88

Figure 7.1 Cross section of a solar cell..........................................................................................92

Figure 7.2 Equivalent Diagram of a solar cell...............................................................................95

Figure 7.3 I-V characteristic of solar cell......................................................................................97

Figure 7.4 Fill Factor comparison of two solar cells.....................................................................99

vii

Figure 7.5 Operation of solar cell in different region of P-V curve............................................100

Figure 7.6 Effect of temperature on I-V characteristic of solar cell............................................104

Figure 7.7 Steps for installing a solar-PV system at home..........................................................107

Figure 8.1 Experimental setup of the developed model..............................................................110

Figure 8.2 Signal flow in the developed model...........................................................................111

Figure 8.3 Monthly line graph of GHI in New Delhi..................................................................114

Figure 8.4 Monthly line graph of DNI in New Delhi..................................................................115

Figure 8.5 Monthly line graph of DHI in New Delhi..................................................................116

Figure 8.6 Monthly step line graphs of GHI, DNI, DHI in New Delhi.......................................117

Figure 8.7 Duration curve of GHI in New Delhi.........................................................................118

Figure 8.8 Duration curve of GHI, DNI, DHI in New Delhi.......................................................119

Figure 8.9 Monthly weather profiles in New Delhi showing GHI, DNI, DHI............................120

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 Technical data for weather of New Delhi using IMD-MNRE database........................09

Table 1.2 Monthly Data of Average GHI and DNI for New Delhi...............................................10

Table 1.3 Examples of solar power applications......................................................................10-11

Table 4.1 Components used in Mechanical Structure with Specifications..............................36-37

Table 5.1 Material used in Electrolyzer with Specifications.........................................................57

Table 6.1 Operating Principle of Solar Tracker.............................................................................60

Table 6.2 Speed and Power calculations of motors.......................................................................67

Table 6.3 Pin Description of LM 339............................................................................................70

Table 6.4 Technical data of solar panel at STC.............................................................................80

Table 6.5 Depth of Discharge for a 12 Volt Battery......................................................................82

Table 6.6 Recorded Data for Power Consumption........................................................................85

Table 6.7 Data for 60lculation of energy requirement...................................................................86

Table 6.8 Optimal Rule for Tilt Angle Selection...........................................................................90

Table 7.1 Residential Solar PV Installation Cost.........................................................................108

Table 9.1 Bill of Material for the model......................................................................................122

ix

NOMENCLATURE

PV Photovoltaic

AM Air Mass

GHI Global Horizontal Irradiance

DNI Direct Normal Irradiance

DHI Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance

DC Direct Current

w1 Weight of solar panel (Kg)

w2 Weight of counter load (Kg)

d1 Distance of panel from pivot (cm)

d2 Distance of counter weight from pivot (cm)

T1 Torque for panel (N-m)

T2 Torque for counter weight (N-m)

H2 Hydrogen gas

O2 Oxygen gas

H2O Water molecule

R Electrical Resistance of Electrolyzer ()

x

l distance between two electrodes (cm)

Ae Area of cylindrical electrode (m2)

p Developed pressure of gas (Pa)

V Volume of gas produced (m3)

x height of the topf of the container above water level (m)

Ac Area of aluminium container (m2)

m mass of gas produced (Kg)

U Universal/molar gas constant

R Characteristic gas constant

T Temperature of gas (K)

LDR Light Dependent Resistor

V1 Voltage developed by LDR-1 (Volts)

V2 Voltage developed by LDR-2 (Volts)

V3 Voltage developed by LDR-3 (Volts)

V4 Voltage developed by LDR-4 (Volts)

PCB Printed Circuit Board

GND Ground

xi

NO Normally Open

NC Normally Closed

COM Common

Pg Effective Mechanical Torque of d.c. motor

RPM Rotations per minute

N Speed of d.c. motor (RPM)

Tg Genarated torque in d.c. motor

w Speed of d.c. motor (radian/sec)

E Supply Voltage for d.c. motor

Eb Back emf developed in d.c. motor

Ia Armature current of d.c. motor

Ra Armature resistance of d.c. motor

Pn No. of poles

Z Numer of conductors

Ap Number of parallel paths

ka D.C. motor constant

Vi Input voltage for buck converter

xii

Vo Output voltage for buck converter

Vl Inductor voltage in buck converter

T One complete cycle period

TON On state of buck converter

TOFF Off state of buck converter

Imx Maximum charging current of inductor

Imn Minimum charging current of inductor

Iav average charging current of inductor

t time

Rs Series resistance of solar panel

Rsh Shunt resistance of solar panel

MPP Maximum power point

Pm Maximum power point of solar panel

ID Diode current in solar cell

VD Diode voltage in solar cell

Im Maximum current at MPP (Amps)

Vm Maximum voltage at MPP (Volts)

xiii

Iph Current due to photovoltaic action (Amps)

IL Load current of solar pane (Amps)

VL Load voltage of solar panel (Volts)

Voc Open circuit voltage of solar panel (Volts)

Isc Short circuit current of solar panel (Amps)

FF Form factor of solar panel

Pin Power input from sun (Watts)

E Input light to solar cell (Watts/m2)

Ac Effective surface area of solar cell (m2)

STC Standard test conditions

PWM Pulse width modulation

Greek letters

1 Angle of orientation of panel

2 Angle of orientation of counter weight

Azimuth Angle

Resistivity of electrolyte solution

Flux per pole

xiv

Duty cycle

Efficiency of of solar panel (%)

Pi (3.14)

Subscripts

g For gas

l For liquid

aq For aqueous solution

xv

CONTENTS

Under Taking Regarding Anti-Pla giarism i

Certificate ii

Acknowledgements iii

Abstract iv

List of Figures v-vii

List of Tables viii

Nomenclature ix-xiv

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1-16

1.1 Solar Energy 1

1.2 Solar Irradiance 5

1.3 Solar Energy Applications 10

1.3.1 Solar PV Systems 11

1.3.1.1 Industrial Applications 13

1.3.1.2 Social Applications 13

1.3.1.3 Consumer Applications 13

1.3.2 Solar Thermal Systems 13

1.3.2.1 Solar Thermal Power Plants 14

1.3.2.2 Solar Water Heating 14

1.3.2.3 Solar Drying 15

1.3.2.4 Solar Cooling 15

1.4 Solar Cogeneration 16

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 17-26

2.1 Solar Tracker 17

2.2 Overview of Tracking Techniques 17

2.2.1 Types of Tracker Actuator Driver 17

2.2.1.1 Active Tracker 18

2.2.1.2 Passive Tracker 18

2.2.2 Types of Solar Tracker Axis 19

2.2.2.1 Single Axis Tracker 19

xvi

2.2.2.2 Dual Axis Tracker 20

2.3 Research Methodologies of Various Researchers 21

2.4 Problem Formulation & Aim of the Project 25

CHAPTER 3 PROPOSED METHODOLOGY 27-30

3.1 Block diagram 27

3.2 Thesis Outline 29

3.3 Work Flow 30

CHAPTER 4 STRUCTURAL DESIGN 31-41

4.1 SolidWorks 31

4.2 Mechanical Structure 31

4.2.1 Selection of Hollow Shaft over Solid Shaft 35

4.3 Materials & Components Used 36

4.3.1 Galvanized Iron 37

4.3.2 Mild Steel 38

4.3.3 Clamps 38

4.3.4 Bearings 38

4.4 Concept of Counter Load 39

CHAPTER 5 HYDROGEN & OXYGEN PRODUCTION 42-59

5.1 Electrolysis of Water 42

5.1.1 PV-Electrolysis 43

5.2 Factors Affecting Efficiency of the Electrolyzer 44

5.2.1 Electrolytic Selection 45

5.2.2 Temperature 45

5.2.3 Electrical Resistance of the Electrolyte 46

5.2.4 Space between the Electrodes 46

5.2.5 Size & Alignment of the Electrodes 47

5.2.6 Electrode Material 47

5.3 The Hydrogen 47

5.3.1 Research Challenges 48

5.3.2 Safety 48

5.3.3 Markets for Hydrogen 48

xvii

5.3.3.1 Power Generation 49

5.3.3.2 Transportation 51

5.3.3.3 Others 51

5.4 The Oxygen 52

5.5 Experimental Setup 53

5.5.1 Mass Calculation for H2 & O2 57

5.5.2 Materials Used 58

5.2.1.1 Electrode 58

5.2.1.2 Electrolyte 59

5.2.1.3 Pressure Gauge 59

CHAPTER 6 CONTROL & INSTRUMENTATION 60-190

6.1 Principle of Operation 60

6.2 Circuit Diagram of the Tracker 61

6.3 Components Used 63

6.3.1 DC Motor & Motor Driver 63

6.3.2 Sensors 68

6.3.3 LM339 Comparator IC 69

6.3.4 Relays 70

6.3.5 Resistor 71

6.3.6 Transistor 72

6.3.7 Diode (IN4001) 73

6.3.8 Buck Converter 73

6.3.9 PCB Design 74

6.3.10 Solar panel 79

6.3.11 Storage Battery 80

6.3.12 Charge Controller 81

6.4 Panel Selection 82

6.4.1 Calculation of Power Consumption of Solar

Tracker & Electrolysis Unit

84

6.4.2 Battery Selection 84

6.4.2.1 Calculation of Daily Energy Use 86

xviii

6.4.2.2 Days of Autonomy 86

6.4.2.3 Battery Bank Capacity 87

6.4.2.4 How to connect Solar Panel, Battery

and Charge Controller

88

6.4.3 PV Selection 88

6.4.3.1 PV Sizing 89

6.4.3.2 PV Orientation 89

CHAPTER 7 SOLAR PANEL/CELL 91-108

7.1 Solar Panel 91

7.2 Photovoltaic Cell 91

7.3 Principle of Operation 92

7.4 Equivalent Circuit of PV Cell 94

7.5 I-V Characteristics 96

7.6 Fill Factor of Solar Panel 98

7.7 MPPT Tracking 99

7.8 Efficiency of the Solar Cell/ Panel 101

7.9 Factors Affecting the Characteristics of Panel 103

7.9.1 Light Intensity 103

7.9.2 Temperature 103

7.9.3 Series and Shunt Resistance 104

7.9.4 Shading 105

7.10 Solar Photovoltaic Technologies 106

7.10.1 Crystalline Technology 106

7.10.2 Thin Film Technology 106

7.11 Solar Photovoltaic for Home 107

CHAPTER 8 EXPERIMENTATION, RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS 109-121

8.1 Experimental Setup 109

8.1.1 Experiment 112

8.2 Results 112

8.2.1 Solar Irradiance Curve by system Advisor Model,

2014.1.14

112

xix

8.3 Discussions 121

CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSION & FUTURE WORK 122-124

9.1 Bill of Material 109

9.2 Conclusion 112

9.2.1 Solar Tracker Model 112

9.2.2 Electrolyzer Model 112

9.3 Recommendations & Future Work 121

REFERENCES 125-128