| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
de Campos da Costa, Joffo Paulo
[1]
;
Gounella, Rodrigo Henrique
[1]
;
Bastos, Wagner Benicio
[2]
;
Longo, Elson
[2]
;
Carmo, Joao Paulo
[1]
Total Authors: 5
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Elect Engn, Grp Metamat Microwaves & Opt, BR-13566590 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem, LIEC Lab, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL; v. 19, n. 8, p. 3111-3120, APR 15 2019. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 1 |
| Abstract | |
This paper presents a photovoltaic (PV) sub-module with an optical sensor for angular measurements of incident light. The optical sensor is a CMOS microdevice for accurate tracking of the solar incident angle for application on PV systems. This microdevice was designed in 0.7-mu m CMOS and is composed by a matrix of photodiodes and the respective read-out circuits. A set of microstructures on metal with the widths of 5 and 10 mu m was fabricated on the top of the photodiodes to allow the measuring of angles on a wide range of illuminations and for calibration purposes. The measurements clone in the laboratory and in real-field open environments confirmed the suitability to track with good precision the maximum sun's incident angle in the range {[}0 degrees, 180 degrees], only limited by the servomotor to rotate the system. This PV sub-module measures 12 cm x 10 cm x 4 cm and presents a total power consumption of 265 mW, when supplied by 5 V. These features combined with the low cost of this PV sub-module bring excellent prospects for its installation on PV cells to achieve a maximum efficiency in the solar to electric energy conversion. To finish, this PV sub-module costs less than \$130, opening good perspectives for its popularization. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/07296-2 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials |
| Grantee: | Elson Longo da Silva |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC |