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Solar-Powered Direct-Current Loads in Small Buildings



Author(s)

Prakash Sarnobat^{1, 2} and Simon Lannon¹

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DOI:10.17265/1934-8975/2015.09.006

1. Welsh School of Architecture, Bute Building, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
2. A Flows, 53 Llwynygrant Road, Penylan, Cardiff CF23 9HL, UK

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 modules, as the two generate (and use) DC (direct-current) electricity, thereby eliminating intermediate-level losses in the electronic circuitry. If a storage battery is included, the solar panels generate 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.

Energy efficiency, photovoltaics, LED lighting, simulation.