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Nature Environment and Pollution Technology (Print copies up to 2016)

Vol. 20 No. 2 pp. 801-804 2021
An International Quarterly Scientific Journal
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Original Research Paper https://doi.org/10.46488/NEPT.2021.v20i02.042

Original Research Paper Open Access Journal

Design and Development of Solar Charging System for Electric Vehicles: An

Initiative to Achieve Green Campus
Gnanasekaran Sasikumar*† and A. Sivasangari**
*Department of Mechanical Engineering, GMR Institute of Technology, Srikakulam-532127, Andhra Pradesh, India
**Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, GMR Institute of Technology, Srikakulam-532127,
Andhra Pradesh, India
†Corresponding author: Gnanasekaran Sasikumar; sasikumar.g@gmrit.edu.in

ABSTRACT
Nat. Env. & Poll. Tech.
Website: www.neptjournal.com Renewable energy is a kind of energy that is obtained through different resources such as sunlight,
Received: 18-05-2020 wind energy, tides, geothermal etc. It provides clean energy that comes from natural sources which can
Revised: 11-06-2020 be replenished continuously. The utilization of more amount of renewable energy will lower the prices
Accepted: 13-07-2020 of and demand for fossil fuels. Solar photovoltaic energy is predominantly used for many applications
like heating, cooking and power generation. Recent inventions helped in developing vehicles that are
Key Words: driven by solar energy. In this paper, the design and development of a solar charging system for electric
Green energy vehicles using a charge controller is discussed. Implementation of the proposed system will reduce the
Renewable energy electricity cost and charging and discharging losses. Also, the proposed solar charging system will be
Solar photovoltaic one of the initiatives taken to achieve Green campus. This paper will demonstrate the system design
Solar vehicle and performance analysis of a solar-charged electrical vehicle system.

INTRODUCTION power conversion architecture is focused on the evaluation

of charging/discharging power, efficiency, energy flux man-
The demand for energy is increasing due to the increase in agement and its impact on the main grid. In addition, proper
population and the economic conditions of many countries. control strategies are evaluated and implemented, allowing
Recent research works reported that fossil fuels have limita- the proposed architecture to follow the required operations.
tions such as global warming, limited resources and econom- The operation of electric vehicles using renewable energy
ical issues. The energy crisis is expected in the near future systems is an environmentally friendly technology (Capasso
and the utilization of renewable energy is to be explored to et al. 2015). A smart charging station was developed for
the maximum possible extent to overcome the problems that Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) based on DC link
arise out from fossil fuels. Many researchers suggested the voltage sensing (Goli et al. 2014).
use of renewable energies considering many environmental
aspects. Renewable energy such as solar energy can be an A specific combination of electric vehicles with pho-
effective alternative in terms of its availability, cost-effec- tovoltaic systems was reported which are mainly used for
tiveness and environmental friendliness. home to work or home to education transports operated from
a grid connected photovoltaic system. For this application,
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM two strategies for the smart charging of electric scooters are
investigated. The study also concluded that this application
The combination of electric vehicles (EVs) and photovol- permits operation of electric scooters against fuel scooters
taic generation (PV) was developed and their performance with no higher costs and with less CO2 emissions (Mesentean
was studied. In the model, a linear optimization model is et al. 2010). An electric circuit-based battery and a capacity
used to assess its impact on the energy system (Fattori et al. fade model was developed suitable for electric vehicles (EVs)
2014). The design criteria, setting up, control strategies and in vehicle-to-grid applications. A control algorithm was
experimental tests applicable for a power configuration of developed for the battery to compute the processed energy,
DC micro-grid for rapid charging of full electric and plug- charge or discharge rate, and state of charge limits of the
in hybrid vehicles. The proposed charging architecture is battery. The obtained battery characteristics were in close
derived from an analysis comparing the main characteristics agreement with the measured characteristics (Thirugnanam
of well-known architectures. The study of the proposed et al. 2014).
802 Gnanasekaran Sasikumar and A. Sivasangari

Fig. 1: Vehicle charging system.

Fig. 1: Vehicle charging system.
A novel bi-directional battery charger for PHEV/EV are the main components required:
with a photovoltaic generation
Solar charging system
forwas proposed
electrical and
vehicles 1.
is aElectric vehicle
basic and viable application of using solar energy to
the operation algorithm of the battery charger system was 2. Solar Photo-Voltaic module
studied (Choe et al. 2010). The Charging Stations (CSS) of 3. Charge controllers
achieve
Electric Vehicles (EVs) sustainable
and their energy
coordination at thedevelopment.
substa- The solar charging is based on the utilization of solar
tion level were presented by Fuzzy Logic Controllers (FLCs) Electric Vehicle
at the substation andPVthepanels
CS levelfor(Singh
converting solarTheenergy
et al. 2013). The to DC voltage.
following The DC
section explains thevoltage can of
requirements bethestored
ve- in the
design of a power-electronic-assisted On-circuit tap changer hicle which will be charged by solar energy. The Graphical
(OLTC) was proposed battery bank
for grid by aregulation
voltage charge controller. An inverter of
(Chandra representation is electric
employed to isconvert
vehicle shown inthe
Fig.DC2. voltage from
Mouli et al. 2015).
Design calculations: Power (Watts) = Weight of vehicle
Electric vehiclestherequire
batteryelectricity
bank tofor 110 volt AC
charging the at 60 Hz frequency that× max.
(kg) × g(m/s^2) is identical
speed (m/s)to ×the power
gradient (%)from the
batteries. This involves the increment of operational costs
P = 175 × 9.81 × 5.5 × 3% = 282.9 Watts
hence replacing this system with solar energy would nullify
electric outlet. This paper will
the high operational costs. So in order to convert the normal address the fundamental
Hence, concepts selected
the Motor specification of designing and developing
for this electrical
electric vehicles into hybrid electric vehicles, some solar vehicle is 300 Watts, 48 V BLDC motor.
solarcharge
panels and a specialised PV systems
controllerforis charging electrical vehicles
necessary. So- for an
Load current educational
= 300 W/ 48V = 6.25institute.
A
lar panels help in trapping and converting the solar energy
The vehicle is used for 2 hours/day and assuming 20%
COMPONENTS
into electrical energy OF VEHICLE
while the charge controller regulates CHARGING SYSTEM
losses,
and selects the source for charging as shown in Fig. 1.
So, load current per day = 2.0 × 6.25 × 1.2 = 18 AH/ day
Solar charging For successful
for electrical implementation
vehicles is a basic and via-of the project, the following are the main components required
ble application of using solar energy to achieve sustainable Energy required for 300 W motor is 6.25 × 18 = 864
energy development. The W/day
1. solar
Electriccharging is based on the
vehicle
utilization of solar PV panels for converting solar energy
to DC voltage. The DC2. Solar
voltage canPhoto-Voltaic module
be stored in the battery
bank by a charge controller. An inverter is employed to
convert the DC voltage3.from Charge controllers
the battery bank to 110 volt
AC at 60 Hz frequency that is identical to the power from
the electric outlet. This paper will address the fundamental
concepts of designing and developing solar PV systems for
charging electricalElectric Vehicle
vehicles for an educational institute.

TheVEHICLE
COMPONENTS OF followingCHARGING
section explains
SYSTEM the requirements of the vehicle which will be charged by solar
For successful implementation of the project, the following Fig.
Fig.2:2:Graphical
Graphical representation ofthe
representation of theelectric
electricvehicle.
vehicle.
energy. The Graphical representation of electric vehicle is shown in Fig. 2.
Design calculations: Power (Watts) = Weight of vehicle (kg)  g(m/s^2)  max. speed (m/
Vol. 20, No. 2, 2021 • Nature Environment and Pollution Technology
 gradient (%)

P = 175  9.81  5.5  3% = 282.9 Watts

 DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR CHARGING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES 803

Table 1: Specifications of available electric vehicle

Parameter Rating
No. of batteries 4
Rating of the batteries 12V, 150AH
Charging voltage 48V
Area on top (in ft) 5”3(L) × 3”2(B)
Seating capacity 4+1
Motor specifications 48V, 300W, BLDC motor

Therefore 48V, 18 AH /day is required for the system

which can be supplied by four 12V batteries of 150AH. Based
on the above calculations, the specifications of the electrical
vehicle are listed in Table 1. Fig. 3: Charge controller circuit diagram.
Solar PV Module Fig.Fig.
3: 3: Chargecontroller
Charge controllercircuit
circuit diagram.
diagram.
The complete assembly of the solar-powered vehicle system is shown in
PV modules consist of many PV cell circuits, normally The in complete assembly of the solar-powered vehicle system is shown in Fig. 4.
series, sealed in an environmentally protective laminate
and are the fundamental building block of PV systems. The
PV cells convert sunlight into DC current electricity. The
specifications of solar PV panel required for the project is
depicted in Table 2.

Charge Controller
The charge controller is used to receive and regulate the
input voltage from PV power source and stores the energy
by charging the battery bank. The charge controller circuit
diagram connecting with other components such as solar
panels and battery is shown in Fig. 3.
The complete assembly of the solar-powered vehicle
Fig 4: Assembly of solar powered vehicle system.
system is shown in Fig. 4.

COST ESTIMATION FOR SOLAR CHARGING

INSTALLATION COST ESTIMATION FOR SOLAR CHARGING INSTALLATION
Fig 4: Assembly of solar
Fig. 4: Assembly of solar powered vehicle
powered vehicle system. system.
Cost of Solar PV panels Rs.12000 Cost of Solar PV panels : Rs.12000
Charge controller : Rs.1500 Charge controller : Rs.1500
Cables, clamps and other Generation/day : 1.5 units/day
accessories : Rs.1500 Cables, clamps andGeneration/year
other accessories : 547.5 units/year
: Rs.1500
COST ESTIMATION FOR SOLAR
Charge/unit CHARGING: Rs.7.8/unit
INSTALLATION
Generation/day Revenue /year : 1.5: Rs.4270/year
units/day
Table 2: Specifications of solar PV module.
Cost of Solar PV panels Payback period :: 3.5
Rs.12000
years
Parameter Rating
Operating Voltage
Charge controller
12 V COMPARISON OF PROPOSED :SOLAR
Rs.1500
AND
Maximum Power (Pmax) 75 W EXISTING ELECTRICAL CHARGING SYSTEM
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc)
Cables, clamps and other The
22.72 V
accessories : Rs.1500
cost and other operating parameters related to the
Short Circuit Current (Isc) 4.32 A
proposed solar and existing electrical charging system are
Maximum Power Voltage (Vmp) 19.04 V
Generation/day shown in Table 3. From Table 3, it:is1.5 units/day
understood that the
Maximum Power Current (Imp) 3.89 A
proposed solar charging system is superior in terms of func-
Maximum System Voltage 1000 V tional and economical considerations.

Nature Environment and Pollution Technology • Vol. 20, No.2, 2021

804 Gnanasekaran Sasikumar and A. Sivasangari

Table 3: Comparison of the proposed solar and existing electrical charging pilot project. As a measure to reduce the carbon footprint
system. to achieve energy sustainability, this project will be further
Parameters Proposed Solar Existing Electrical enhanced. In addition to this solar charging system, an effort
charging system charging system will be made to operate all battery-operated vehicles avail-
Maximum speed 20 Km per Hour 20 Km per Hour able on the campus to utilize solar energy by establishing
Initial cost (Rs) 15000 10000 more charging stations. This initiative will encourage energy
Distance covered after 42-45 Km 40 Km sustainability on campus and inspire the various stakeholders
100% charging such as students, faculty and staff to use public transportation
Charging time (Hours) 8 7 to 8 and electric vehicles that are charged by solar energy.
Operating cost (Rs) Nil 7.5 per unit
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
System operation 25 5
guarantee (Years) The authors are grateful to their management for allowing
them to do this research and thankful to the anonymous ref-
erees for their valuable suggestions to enhance the features
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE of the content.
The development of the Solar Charging system for electri-
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Vol. 20, No. 2, 2021 • Nature Environment and Pollution Technology