Solar Energy Based Smart Street Lighting System Using Maximum Power Point Tracking Control

• Published in: 2024 Asia Pacific Conference on Innovation in Technology (APCIT) pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Poornima, P., K.S, Kavitha Kumari, T, Rahul Das, T, Ashir Ali, P, Mohamed Hasib
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 26.07.2024
• Subjects: Brightness; Light emitting diode; Lighting; Maximum power point trackers; Microcontroller; Photovoltaic; Smart cities; Solar energy; Street light and Battery; Temperature measurement; Temperature sensors
• DOI: 10.1109/APCIT62007.2024.10673519

There has been a lot of discussion about how solar energy may power street lighting systems, which could cut down on carbon emissions and energy expenses. Solar irradiation is quite variable, and there are rarely effective control mechanisms to keep solar-powered streetlights from wasting energy. Using energy from solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, this work created light emitting diode (LED)-based streetlights with automatic intensity management. During the day, the light dependent resistor (LDR) detects the amount of light emitted by the environment, and a charge controller circuit regulates the battery's charging process. To monitor the PV panels' maximum power point (MPP) and maintain efficient energy conversion under various sunlight conditions, the controller uses a perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm. This setup uses a PIC16F8 family microcontroller to monitor the solar panel's output, voltage, current, and temperature, among other parameters. During the most hectic hours of day, the streetlights must be maintained on high. A motion detector is included into the system, so it may dynamically change the LED streetlights' brightness depending on what it senses. Because of the critical importance of energy saving in smart city situations, this feature is especially useful for applications using streetlights.