RESEARCH NOTE ON ELECTRIC

CUM SOLAR SYSTEN

TEAM REVANTA
NIT JAMSHEDPUR
INTRODUCTION
As we are fabricating an electric solar hybrid vehicle, we are
supposed to use a battery as well as solar energy
independently to power the vehicle.
A battery is an active element which produces or generates
electricity using electrochemical reactions and, whenever
required it can be used to serve the same function what
gasoline serves in an internal combustion engine i.e. to power
the vehicle.

In present scenario as we have limited source of non-renewable

energy to power the vehicle and since it also has more harmful
effect on environment, we are now mostly dependent on
renewable sources of energy like tidal energy, wind energy,
solar energy etc. Solar energy proves to be the most vital and
long lasting source of renewable energy. We can use solar
panels to store solar energy and use it in powering a vehicle.

The renewable energy is vital for todays world as in near future

the non-renewable sources that we are using are going to get
exhausted. The solar vehicle is a step in saving these nonrenewable sources of energy. The basic principle of solar car is
to use energy that is stored in a battery during and after
charging it from a solar panel. The charged batteries are used
to drive the motor which serves here as an engine and moves
the vehicle in reverse or forward direction. The electrical
tapping rheostat is provided so as to control the motor speed.
This avoids excess flow of current when the vehicle is supposed
to be stopped suddenly as it is in normal cars with regards to
fuel. This idea, in future, may help protect ourfuels from getting
extinguished.

BATTERY A SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR

ELECTRIC VEHICLE:
There are many batteries available to power an electric vehicle
like Ni-Cd battery, Lead acid battery, Li-ion battery etc. Ni-cd
batteries are not very efficient and reliable as they have
memory effect i.e. if the Ni-Cd battery is discharged (not
completely) then, when it will be again charged the plates and
cells of the batteries retain or remember the past and the
unused active material cannot be used again thus resulting in
reduced capacity.
So, we are left with Lead acid and Li-ion battery. Lead acid
battery utilizes two plates of lead oxide and sponge lead with
an aqueous solution of sulphuric acid as an electrolyte. Lead
acid batteries are broadly categorised in two groups. First one is
conventional lead acid battery and second one is upgradation
of the first one known as deep cycle or valve regulated lead
acid (VRLA) battery.
Conventional Lead acid battery requires more maintenance as
it contains an aqueous solution of electrolyte. It cannot be used

in any orientation and should be held always in an upright

position so as to eliminate the risk of acid spill or leakage. It
also requires a proper ventilation for the escaping of gas as
there is evolution of gas during its operation because of
imperfect charging and discharging cycles. It can also not be
used for smooth driving of a vehicle but can only be used for
starting and lightning purposes.
But, VRLA battery is a proper solution for all the above
mentioned problem. The basic design and chemical structure of
VRLA are almost same as of conventional lead acid battery with
a little bit difference. VRLA can further be divided into two
groups VRLA Gel battery and AGM battery. The Gel battery
utilizes a solution of sulphuric acid as an electrolyte with
silicone dust added to it which gives it a gel like characteristic.
Thus the paste or gelled electrolyte eliminates the risk of acid
leakage or spill and renders it maintenance free. It can be used
in any orientation and there is almost low to no requirement of
ventilation. There is a self-resealing pressure releasing valve for
the extreme or severe condition of gas evolution due to overcharging. AGM battery, on the other hand utilizes a glass fibre
which serves both functions as a separator for positive and
negative plates to eliminate the risk of short circuit and as a
blotter to absorb the electrolyte. AGM batteries are almost
similar in function as Gel batteries. Both are maintenance free,
both boost more resistance to temperature variation, shocks &
vibrations, can be used in any orientation and are leakage proof
etc.
Though they have many similarities, yet they are different in
many respect. Since AGM batteries have more efficient oxygen
recombination cycle and low internal resistance, it draws more
float current at constant float voltage and thus generates a
large amount of heat in comparision to gel battery. Also the
float current rises with the increase in temperature resulting in
more heat generation. So VRLA Gel battery is more ideal to be
used.
Li-ion battery is also a better option for powering an electric
vehicle. But, it has some disadvantages in comparision to VRLA
Gel battery. First one and most important is the cost. While

VRLA Gel battery is of less cost or almost inexpensive in

contrast, Li-ion batteries cost approximately 6 to 7 times more.
VRLA Gel battery can be used in any temperature condition but,
Li-ion battery cannot be used efficiently in sub-zero conditions.
Moreover, charge retention property of VRLA Gel battery is
much better than Li-ion battery. Also, the self discharge
property of VRLA Gel battery is much less than Li-ion battery
resulting in much less or no wastage of active materials and no
loss in the capacity of the battery.

VRLA Gel battery and internal construction:

SOLAR PANEL:- An
Equipment to store Solar
Energy

This paper discusses about the usage of solar energy to power

up the vehicle.
The electrical charge is consolidated from the solar panel and
directed to the output terminals to produce low voltage (Direct
Current). The charge controllers direct this power acquired from
the solar panel to the batteries. According to the state of the
battery, the charging is done, so as to avoid overcharging and
deep discharge. The voltage is then boosted up using the boost
power converter, ultimately running the BLDC motor which is
used as the drive motor for our vehicle application.

The first part of this paper deals about how to acquire the
power from the sun, and there on to recharge the battery.The
second part deals with using the power from battery in running
and controlling the motor and recharging the battery
simultaneously.The rating of the components required for this
work is completely based on the motor which is to be used for
the application. We are using the 800Watts (48V, 10.5A) BLDC
motor for our application. According to the rating of the motor
the other hardware components are selected. In order to drive
the BLDC motor through the batteries, we would require four
batteries of rating 12V/42Ah connected in series. The solar
module consists of a set of solar cells connected in parallel and
series to meet up the power requirement.

ACQUIRING SOLAR ENERGY

FROM SUN
In the next phase of the work, the power which is stored in the
batteries is used in driving the BLDC motor.In this phase the
detail study of motor is done and simulated.The specification of
the BLDC motor is given in below.From the specification its well
understood that the required voltage to run the motor is 48V,
while the rated voltage of a single battery is 12V.Thus to
achieve the rated voltage of the motor; we are in need of four
batteries which when connected in series can satisfy the
requirement.
MAXIMUM POWER
RATED VOLTAGE
RATED CURRENT
MAXIMUM SPEED
MAXIMUM TORQUE
NO LOAD CURRENT

800 W
48 V
1335 RPM
9.5 Nm

Driving the Motor:

The Brushless DC (BLDC) motor is used as the drive motor for
the vehicle.Its a permanent magnet square wave motor.BLDC
motor uses feedback directly of the rotor angular position so
that the input armature current can be switched among the
motor phases in exact synchronization with the rotor
motion.The specification of the BLDC motor is given in Table
3.The reason for opting for the BLDC motor is because of its
efficiency, noiseless operation, dynamic response and high
torque to weight ratio.
The integration of the whole system evolves as the Solar
Powered BLDC Motor Driven Electric Vehicle

ADVANTAGES OF THE VEHICLE:

The solar vehicles are the future of the automobile industry. They are highly
feasible and can be manufactured with ease. The main advantages of a solar
vehicle are that they are pollution less and are very economical. Since they
cause no pollution they are very eco-friendly and are the only answer to the
increasing pollution levels from automobiles in the present scenario. By
harvesting the renewable sources of energy like the solar energy we are helping
in preserving the non-renewable sources of energy. The other main advantages
of the solar vehicle are that they require less maintenance as compared to the
conventional automotives and are very user friendly.

CONCLUSION

The solar vehicle solves many problems related to the

environment and is the best pollution free method. We need to
make use of them so that we can reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels. Solar vehicles do have some disadvantages like
small speed range, initial cost is high. Also, the rate of
Conversion of energy is not satisfactory (only 17%). But these
disadvantages can be easily overcome by conducting further
research in this area; like the problem of solar cells can be
solved by using the ultra efficient solar cells that give about 3035% efficiency. As this field of automobiles will be explored the
problems will get solved. The solar automobiles have a
hugeprospective market and we should start using them in our
day-to-day life. We have already completed making a solar
vehicle prototype as our project and the vehicle is running
successfully on solar power.