Abstract
Electrical Grid Connection is still a problem in Peru since there are plenty of remote areas across the Peruvian land, even industries as mining have this problem due to the fact that their operations are located mainly in these remotes areas, and they require artificial light 24/7 to work. This need is currently covered mainly by diesel powered towers, however they produce noise, pollution and have high logistic and operation costs. The proposed alternative consists of a solar powered illumination tower with a pre-programmed solar tracker mechanism to increase its efficiency and electric energy output, reduce battery loading times and increase capacity. Two prototypes have been developed: the first prototype has fixed-position photovoltaic panels, as most of the commercially available solar powered illumination towers; the second prototype possesses a modified slider-crank mechanism driven by a linear actuator which is used to reposition the panels to an optimal position for better energy collection. Field tests show a notable increase in electric energy output when using a solar tracker mechanism which leads to reduced required area for solar panels, reduced number of batteries, reduced weight, and increased efficiency with higher luminosity and power output.
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The authors of this work would appreciate to thank CIENCIACTIVA CONCYTEC PERU for the initial funding for this project, which allowed the authors to manufacture both prototypes.
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Lavayen, D., Pujada, E., Olivera, D., Maguina, A., Choque, M., Bullon, W. (2019). Design of a Solar Powered Mobile Illumination Tower with a Solar Tracker Mechanism for Increased Efficiency. In: Kecskeméthy, A., Geu Flores, F., Carrera, E., Elias, D. (eds) Interdisciplinary Applications of Kinematics. Mechanisms and Machine Science, vol 71. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16423-2_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16423-2_21
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