Date of Award

2007

Degree Type

Thesis Project

Degree Name

Master of Engineering (MEng)

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Richard Cheung

Abstract

Solar energy is a renewable resource that is environmentally friendly. Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy is available just about everywhere on earth. This source of energy is free and immune to rising energy prices. Solar energy can be used in many ways - to provide electricity, heat, lighting, and mechanical power. The objective of this project is to determine the effect of mounting orientation of a photovoltaic panel on power output. Based on the simulation results, the report proposes alternative energy management techniques to characterize the unstable nature of the photovoltaic power generating system. A typical power generating system using photovoltaic technology would have many components. The software used for determining the effects of photovoltaic module mounting angle on the PV module power output is the PV-DesignPro. This software is designed to simulate photovoltaic energy system operation on an hourly basis for one year, based on a user selected climate and system design.