LED based street lighting with automatic intensity control using solar PV

Abstract

Due to increasing concerns about global warming and climate change, renewable energy sources like wind and solar are receiving greater attention from researchers world-wide. Solar PV is an excellent source of energy available all over the globe but in DC form. If it can be utilized without converting this into AC, it can be really energy efficient. LEDs for lighting purposes have become extremely popular lately due to their higher lumens yield with less wattage consumption; also, they work on DC. So, Solar PV-LED is an ideal combination for outdoor lighting. This paper explores this combination for street lighting purposes. Depending on the yield of the solar PV and the traffic scenario, the intensity of the street light is being adjusted from 0% to 100% automatically by making use of a DC-DC converter. The street light is being equipped with a Li-ion battery whose charging and discharging are also controlled by DC-DC converters. This paper explores the combination of a solar PV with MPPT supplying power to a street light equipped with LEDs with automatic intensity control through a DC-DC converter.