SOLAR POWER ANALYZER: A PHYSICAL AND CYBER SYSTEM FOR SOLAR ENERGY COMPUTATION

Abstract

The electricity requirements of the world are increasing at alarming rate and the power demand has been running ahead of supply. It is now recognized that the fossil fuels (i.e. coal, petroleum and natural gas) and other conventional resources, presently being used for electricity generation may not be sufficient to keep pace with the demands. Another major disadvantage of fossil fuels is environmental degradation .The burning of fossil fuels in conversion to energy creates waste of H2O and CO2. CO2 being a greenhouse gas is major cause of global warming. All this facts promote us to use renewable energy resources (Solar energy, Wind energy etc.). Amongst all, the most sustainable renewable resource is solar energy which is free, clean and inexhaustible. Solar panels are responsible for converting solar energy into electricity. The advantages of employing the photovoltaic cells include no production of pollutants during operation, silent, long lifetime and low maintenance. The only concern is unawareness about solar energy among individuals and the number of resources needed to produce electricity. Solar Power Analyzer estimates the number of solar panels required to generate sufficient electricity for a given place based on the users location .We calculate number of solar panels required for the given area. For a given location using the data provided by NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy Website we find the amount of electricity generated and also display it graphically.