Abstract
Energy is seemingly permanently and
nearly everywhere in the western world available to the
end consumer. While a majority of the western civilization
is aware of the downsides of fossil energy sources and is favoring
renewable energy sources, the energy consumption
is still increasing. The situation is quite clear to the experts
in the field, but further awareness in the public must
be created. Therefore this paper addresses a method of
creating this awareness: installations that stimulate conversations
of renewable energy.
A solar tree was developed and built to serve young people
with an AC outlet at a rock festival. The tree was realized
under mechanical constraints and considerations of
the electrical network to allow energy storage and conversion.
This paper will introduce the principle of provotypes,
which are provoking human thinking toward environmental
friendly technology. The mechanical requirements and
the developed solution is shown, before providing intensive
insight into the electrical configuration, consisting of
a battery, photovoltaic cells and a DC-AC converter. Furthermore
a low complexity charge controller is presented.
The resulting solar tree is capable of attracting peoples
attention, surviving in harsh environments and providing
power up to around 100 W.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | ICREPQ'11 International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality |
Publication date | 2011 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-84-614-7527-8 |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Event | International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (ICREPQ'11) - Canary Islands Convention Centre, Las Palmas de Canaria, Spain Duration: 13 Apr 2011 → 15 Apr 2011 |
Conference
Conference | International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (ICREPQ'11) |
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Location | Canary Islands Convention Centre |
Country/Territory | Spain |
City | Las Palmas de Canaria |
Period | 13/04/2011 → 15/04/2011 |
Keywords
- Provotypes
- Capacitive Energy Storage
- DC-AC Power Conversion
- Technology Social Factors
- Solar Energy