Onboard Rooftop Solar Charging for Green Transportation in tourism sector

Abstract

The need for energy conservation and environmental protection have triggered the development and deployment of electric vehicles. Light electric vehicles and fossil fuel based light vehicles are popular means of transport for short distances in not only remote rural areas but also in places of tourist attractions. For Islands in the tropical belt like the Sunderbans in India and other pristine sea beaches in South East Asia where nature is luxuriantly present, green transportation is proposed in this work. The objective is to develop environment friendly transport for these natural havens and islands that have ample renewable resources especially in the form of solar power. In this work, a model of a light electric vehicle is developed that utilizes the solar energy during the daytime for charging its batteries. Battery charge controller inbuilt with boost based MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) of solar irradiation have especially been designed to meet the requirements. The efficiency of the designed MPPT is studied. As accumulation of dust and sand reduces the solar module efficiency, an automated self-cleaning mechanism has also been designed that automatically cleans the solar panel regularly. The life cycle cost and the reduction in carbon emissions coupled with the Cost of Capital Investment and operating expenses of the developed model of green transportation far outweighs the similar values obtained from other modes of remote transportation.