TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (KYAUKSE)

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

Design and Construction Data Logger System for Solar

Panel

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Supervisor:

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Date of Submission: 8.1.2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
Introduction 3
Objective 3
Significance of the project 3
Scope of the project 4
Literature Review 4
Methodology 6
Expected Outcome 6
Limitation 7
Time Frame and Work Schedule 7
Budgets 7

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 Introduction
A data logger is an electronic instrument (or specialized computing
device in some cases) that records digital, analogue, frequency or smart protocol
based measurements over time. It is an all-purpose piece of measuring
equipment that finds use in an extremely wide range of applications.
Data loggers have been successfully deployed in many scientific and
industrial applications. Some of the important areas in which data loggers are
widely used include biomedical instrumentation, power quality measurement,
automotive engineering, etc. The data logger has to be portable, hand-held,
battery-operated data collection device for collecting “real-world” data which
can be used as an interface connected to a computer or as a stand-alone
instrument.
In this work, a digital data logger is designed for logging solar energy
parameters. A single printed circuit board (PCB) was used to fabricate the
digital data logger. The output power from a solar panel and the ambient
temperature are logged. The accuracy of measurements and data are very
important, hence, this research applies Arduino board implementing the logger
capable of storing data every 3 seconds
Objectives
The objectives are:
 To measure voltage, current, temperature and humidity for every 3 second
 To record date, time using DS1307 clock module
 To record measured data to SD card as text file
 To enhance accessibility for user emphasizing the detail data of solar
panel

Significance of the project

The data logger circuit is built around the ATmega 328P microcontroller
(used in Arduino UNO). The solar energy sensor circuit is made up of voltage
dividers. Voltage divider take the 12V -15V solar panel voltage and scale it
down so that the input to the analog to digital converter is below 5V as required
by the microcontroller.
The Hall Effect current sensor is used to measure the current draw. The
temperature sensing device used is the DHT11 which is an integrated circuit
sensor that can be used to measure temperature and humidity.

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 Date Time clock is used to record time. And recorded data will be stored
in SD card every 3 second.

Scope of the project

This project will be focus on the following topics.
1. Microcontroller based Voltage Sensing
2. Microcontroller based Current Sensing
3. Microcontroller based Temperature and Humidity Sensing
4. Microcontroller based Clock usage
5. Microcontroller based data logging on SD card
6. Microcontroller based LCD display

Literature Review
As the energy demand and the environmental problems increase, the
natural energy sources have become very important as an alternative to the
conventional energy sources. The renewable energy sector is fast gaining
ground as a new growth area for numerous countries with the vast potential.
Solar energy plays an important role as a primary source of energy, especially
for rural area.
A solar photovoltaic or solar cell is a device that changes light into
electric current by means of the photoelectric effect. SPVs are used in several
applications such as in railway signals, streetlight, and household appliances
and to drive telecommunication systems which are located far away.
It has a p-type of silicon layer, which is placed on an n-type silicon layer,
and the diffusion of electrons arises from the n-type material to the p-type
material. In the p-type material, there are holes for accommodating the
electrons. The n-type material is rich in electrons, so by the influence of the
solar energy, the electrons move from the n- type material to p- type material
and in the p-n junction, they combine with holes. This generates a charge on
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both side of the p-n junction to create an electric field. Because of this, a diode-
like arrangement develops which promotes charge flow. This drift current
equilibriums the diffusion of electrons and holes. The zone in which drift
presently occurs is the depletion zone or space charge region that deficiencies
the mobile charge carriers.
For example, a 12-volt panel gives around 20 volts in bright sunlight.
However, when the battery is connected to it, the voltage drops to 14-15 volts.
Solar photovoltaic (SPV) cells are made of extraordinary materials called
semiconductors, for example, silicon, which is presently the most generally
used. When light falls on the cell, a certain amount of it is absorbed within the
semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is
transported to the semiconductor.
The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It
has 14 digital input/output pins, 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a
USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains
everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a
computer with a USB cable or power it with an AC-to-DC adapter or battery to
get started. The Uno differs from all preceding boards in that it does not use the
FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip. Instead, it features the Atmega8U2
programmed as a USB-to-serial converter.
"Uno" means one in Italian and is named to mark the upcoming release of
Arduino 1.0. The Uno and version 1.0 will be the reference versions of Arduino,
moving forward. The Uno is the latest in a series of USB Arduino boards, and
the reference model for the Arduino platform; for a comparison with previous
version.

Methodology
The overall block diagram of data logger for solar is shown in following.

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 Fig. 1 block diagram of data logger system for solar

This system composed of the following parts.

part 1: Measurement DC voltage from voltage divider
part 2: Measurement DC current using Hall Effect current sensor or Current
Transformer
part 4: Measurement Temperature and Humidity value
part 5: Taking Time signal from Clock module
part 6: Displaying Time and measured data on LCD for error checking
part: Saving measured data on SD card.

Expected Outcome
This system is intended to allow following features to the user:
1. User can analyze solar voltage and current gain for specific location/place
2. User can determine number of solar panel to be used for required power
rating.

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 Limitation
In this project, a few solar panel will be used so current rating may low.
Moreover current depends on the load cascaded. Although solar can apply more
current, if load do not draw current, the current output will be low.
Time Frame and Work Schedule
This project will be designed using the following parts.
1st month 2nd month
Study about all modules Construction Logger system

Budgets
Type Name Cost (Kyats)
Controller Arduino UNO x 2 16,000
Clock Module clock x2 12,000
Solar Panel solar x2 20,000
Temp, Hum senor DHT11 x2 6,000
LCD 20x4 line x 2 20,000
Other components Cables and components 20,000
Total 94,000