Solar-powered Direct-current loads in small buildings

Sarnobat, Prakash and Lannon, Simon Charles ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4677-7184 2013. Solar-powered Direct-current loads in small buildings. Presented at: FutureBuild 2013, University of Bath, United Kingdom, 4 – 6 September 2013.

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Abstract

Traditional light bulbs (e.g. Incandescent, Fluorescent) use too much electricity, convert very little energy into light of sufficient quality, and in their production use toxic contaminants. During the last few years a new type of light source, LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulb, has gained increasing popularity and its costs are set to plunge even further. LED bulbs offer many advantages over traditional sources, and they can be used as a direct replacement to existing lighting. This paper will use a spreadsheet-based analysis with hourly solar data supplied by Ecotect to show that the efficiency of LED installations can be increased when used in conjunction with Photovoltaic (PV) modules, as the two generate (and use) direct-current (DC) electricity, thereby eliminating intermediate-level losses in the electronic circuitry. If a storage battery is included, the PV generates electricity during the times when the occupants are not necessarily using the lighting, but the stored electricity can be used to power the lighting when the energy is required. The latest results demonstrate that a slight reduction in the required floor area to be lit allows the Solar-Battery-LED system to be implemented in small buildings using a storage battery size that is within the range of present commercial devices. Further, a future projection shows that by 2050, the payback time is expected to reduce to less than one third of what it is in 2013.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Architecture
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NA Architecture T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	27 Oct 2022 09:25
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/65732

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