IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v11y2018i10p2648-d173650.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

PV System Design and Flight Efficiency Considerations for Fixed-Wing Radio-Controlled Aircraft—A Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Bojan Kranjec

    (Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, Vukovarska 58, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia)

  • Sasa Sladic

    (Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, Vukovarska 58, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia)

  • Wojciech Giernacki

    (Institute of Control, Robotics and Information Engineering, University of Technology, Piotrowo 3a, 60-965 Poznań, Poland)

  • Neven Bulic

    (Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, Vukovarska 58, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia)

Abstract

The list of photovoltaic (PV) applications grows longer every day with high consideration for system efficiency. For instance, in spite of many recent PV aircraft designs, aircraft propulsion was mainly reserved for nonelectric motors. Lately, the Solar Impulse flight across the world shows the possibilities of larger PV powered electric aircraft. In order to obtain this goal efficiency of flight, PV conversion, power converters and electric drives have to be maximized. These demands led to a 63.4 m wingspan. The purpose of this paper is to present that PV power could be used for improving the performance of fixed-wing radio-controlled aircrafts with smaller wingspans (1 m). In order to improve the performance of battery powered electric unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), a model without PV cells (commercial Li-ion battery powered UAV) was compared with UAV powered both from battery and PV modules. This work shows details about Boost DC/DC converter and PV system design for small size fixed-wing electric UAVs, investigating the possibility of the application of PV powered drones, as well. Theoretical findings involving efficiency improvements have been confirmed by measurements combining the improvements in electrical engineering, microcontroller application and aerodynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Bojan Kranjec & Sasa Sladic & Wojciech Giernacki & Neven Bulic, 2018. "PV System Design and Flight Efficiency Considerations for Fixed-Wing Radio-Controlled Aircraft—A Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-12, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:10:p:2648-:d:173650
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/10/2648/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/10/2648/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alonso Gutiérrez Galeano & Michael Bressan & Fernando Jiménez Vargas & Corinne Alonso, 2018. "Shading Ratio Impact on Photovoltaic Modules and Correlation with Shading Patterns," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-26, April.
    2. S. Zahra Mirbagheri Golroodbari & Arjen. C. De Waal & Wilfried G. J. H. M. Van Sark, 2018. "Improvement of Shade Resilience in Photovoltaic Modules Using Buck Converters in a Smart Module Architecture," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Durisch, Wilhelm & Keller, Johannes & Bulgheroni, Willy & Keller, Lothar & Fricker, Hans, 1995. "Solar irradiation measurements in Jordan and comparisons with Californian and Alpine data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2-3), pages 111-124.
    4. Kristijan Brecl & Marko Topič, 2018. "Photovoltaics (PV) System Energy Forecast on the Basis of the Local Weather Forecast: Problems, Uncertainties and Solutions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-12, May.
    5. Timo Kropp & Markus Schubert & Jürgen H. Werner, 2018. "Quantitative Prediction of Power Loss for Damaged Photovoltaic Modules Using Electroluminescence," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Stefan Baschel & Elena Koubli & Jyotirmoy Roy & Ralph Gottschalg, 2018. "Impact of Component Reliability on Large Scale Photovoltaic Systems’ Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-16, June.
    7. Kannan, Nadarajah & Vakeesan, Divagar, 2016. "Solar energy for future world: - A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1092-1105.
    8. Qiang Zhao & Shuai Shao & Lingxing Lu & Xin Liu & Honglu Zhu, 2018. "A New PV Array Fault Diagnosis Method Using Fuzzy C-Mean Clustering and Fuzzy Membership Algorithm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, January.
    9. Jaw-Kuen Shiau & Yu-Chen Wei & Min-Yi Lee, 2015. "Fuzzy Controller for a Voltage-Regulated Solar-Powered MPPT System for Hybrid Power System Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-21, April.
    10. Gaglia, Athina G. & Lykoudis, Spyros & Argiriou, Athanassios A. & Balaras, Constantinos A. & Dialynas, Evangelos, 2017. "Energy efficiency of PV panels under real outdoor conditions–An experimental assessment in Athens, Greece," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 236-243.
    11. Carlos Robles Algarín & John Taborda Giraldo & Omar Rodríguez Álvarez, 2017. "Fuzzy Logic Based MPPT Controller for a PV System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Henrik Zsiborács & Attila Bai & József Popp & Zoltán Gabnai & Béla Pályi & István Farkas & Nóra Hegedűsné Baranyai & Mihály Veszelka & László Zentkó & Gábor Pintér, 2018. "Change of Real and Simulated Energy Production of Certain Photovoltaic Technologies in Relation to Orientation, Tilt Angle and Dual-Axis Sun-Tracking. A Case Study in Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    13. Gábor Pintér & Nóra Hegedűsné Baranyai & Alec Wiliams & Henrik Zsiborács, 2018. "Study of Photovoltaics and LED Energy Efficiency: Case Study in Hungary," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-13, March.
    14. Nižetić, S. & Duić, N. & Papadopulos, A.M. & Tina, G.M. & Grubišić-Čabo, F., 2015. "Energy efficiency evaluation of a hybrid energy system for building applications in a Mediterranean climate and its feasibility aspect," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 1171-1179.
    15. Xinhua Zhu & Nan Li & Yu Sun & Hongfei Zhang & Kai Wang & Sang-Bing Tsai, 2018. "A Study on the Strategy for Departure Aircraft Pushback Control from the Perspective of Reducing Carbon Emissions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-15, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sunghun Jung & Yonghyeon Jo & Young-Joon Kim, 2019. "Aerial Surveillance with Low-Altitude Long-Endurance Tethered Multirotor UAVs Using Photovoltaic Power Management System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wilfried van Sark, 2019. "Photovoltaic System Design and Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-6, May.
    2. Dan Craciunescu & Laurentiu Fara, 2023. "Investigation of the Partial Shading Effect of Photovoltaic Panels and Optimization of Their Performance Based on High-Efficiency FLC Algorithm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-28, January.
    3. Maria Simona Răboacă & Gheorghe Badea & Adrian Enache & Constantin Filote & Gabriel Răsoi & Mihai Rata & Alexandru Lavric & Raluca-Andreea Felseghi, 2019. "Concentrating Solar Power Technologies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Hao Wu & Lin Zhou & Yihao Wan & Qiang Liu & Siyu Zhou, 2019. "A Mixed Uncertainty Power Flow Algorithm-Based Centralized Photovoltaic (PV) Cluster," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Hyunji Lee & Katherine A. Kim, 2018. "Design Considerations for Parallel Differential Power Processing Converters in a Photovoltaic-Powered Wearable Application," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Xiaoyang Song & Yaohuan Huang & Chuanpeng Zhao & Yuxin Liu & Yanguo Lu & Yongguo Chang & Jie Yang, 2018. "An Approach for Estimating Solar Photovoltaic Potential Based on Rooftop Retrieval from Remote Sensing Images," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Alonso Gutiérrez Galeano & Michael Bressan & Fernando Jiménez Vargas & Corinne Alonso, 2018. "Shading Ratio Impact on Photovoltaic Modules and Correlation with Shading Patterns," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-26, April.
    8. Ahmed Al Mansur & Md. Ruhul Amin & Kazi Khairul Islam, 2019. "Performance Comparison of Mismatch Power Loss Minimization Techniques in Series-Parallel PV Array Configurations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-21, March.
    9. Neeraj Priyadarshi & Vigna K. Ramachandaramurthy & Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban & Farooque Azam, 2019. "An Ant Colony Optimized MPPT for Standalone Hybrid PV-Wind Power System with Single Cuk Converter," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, January.
    10. Alin Lin & Ming Lu & Pingjun Sun, 2018. "The Influence of Local Environmental, Economic and Social Variables on the Spatial Distribution of Photovoltaic Applications across China’s Urban Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-14, July.
    11. Shuhao Chang & Qiancheng Wang & Haihua Hu & Zijian Ding & Hansen Guo, 2018. "An NNwC MPPT-Based Energy Supply Solution for Sensor Nodes in Buildings and Its Feasibility Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-20, December.
    12. Ruixiaoxiao Zhang & Geoffrey QP Shen & Meng Ni & Johnny Wong, 2020. "The relationship between energy consumption and gross domestic product in Hong Kong (1992–2015): Evidence from sectoral analysis and implications on future energy policy," Energy & Environment, , vol. 31(2), pages 215-236, March.
    13. Al-Nimr, Moh'd.A. & Dawahdeh, Ahmad I., 2023. "A novel hybrid reverse osmosis and flash desalination system powered by solar photovoltaic/thermal collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    14. Long-Yi Chang & Yi-Nung Chung & Kuei-Hsiang Chao & Jia-Jing Kao, 2018. "Smart Global Maximum Power Point Tracking Controller of Photovoltaic Module Arrays," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, March.
    15. Moghadam, Saman Salehi & Gholamian, Mohammad Reza & Zahedi, Rahim & Shaqaqifar, Maziar, 2024. "Designing a multi-purpose network of sustainable and closed-loop renewable energy supply chain, considering reliability and circular economy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 369(C).
    16. Pramod R. Sonawane & Sheetal Bhandari & Rajkumar Bhimgonda Patil & Sameer Al-Dahidi, 2023. "Reliability and Criticality Analysis of a Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic System Using Fault Tree Analysis Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-24, March.
    17. Dennis Dreier & Mark Howells, 2019. "OSeMOSYS-PuLP: A Stochastic Modeling Framework for Long-Term Energy Systems Modeling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-26, April.
    18. Abhnil Amtesh Prasad & Merlinde Kay, 2020. "Assessment of Simulated Solar Irradiance on Days of High Intermittency Using WRF-Solar," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, January.
    19. Ewelina Krawczak, 2023. "A Comparative Analysis of Measured and Simulated Data of PV Rooftop Installations Located in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-17, August.
    20. Singh, Rashmi & Sharma, Madhu & Rawat, Rahul & Banerjee, Chandan, 2020. "Field Analysis of three different silicon-based Technologies in Composite Climate Condition – Part II – Seasonal assessment and performance degradation rates using statistical tools," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 2102-2117.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:10:p:2648-:d:173650. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.