Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A Solar System was designed to demonstrate the power system operation of a solar
powered aircraft. The system occurs of a photovoltaic (PV) array, a charge controller, а
battery, an electric motor and propeller. PV array has energy, and this energy uses to store it
in a battery for future use. Also, there is control panel in system, which display the output of
the array, and battery.

Today, it is important to use natural resources, and using renewable energy than
at perhaps any other time in history. Also, clean energy alternatives like solar energy,
collected through photovoltaic systems, can be of great benefit tour environment.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems are important, because it changes sunlight into electricity, and it
useful at home and business. PV systems are ideal sources of energy, because it has infinite
amount of sunlight for fuel. There is no damage from converting the fuel into electricity.
Moreover, when solar system is installed, the electricity produced is free of cost.

We searched about existing projects then we found two projects similar to our’s. This
current aircrafts are called as “solar impulse” and “NASA Pathfinder”. Solar Impulse has
broader aim which is the world tour in 20-25 days. NASA Pathfinder program had two goals
when developing the Helios Prototype; first one is sustained flight at altitudes near 30,000 m
and endurancing of at least 24 hours, including at least 14 hours above 15,000 m. Our aim is
staying in the air for 20 days. For determining our needs, we should know the properties of
these two projects. These will be our guide during project. For “Solar Impulse”
11,628 photovoltaic cells on the upper wing surface and the horizontal stabilizer generate
electricity during the day. Each solar panel can produce 0,45 volts and 100 milliamper
energy. The NASA Pathfinder is a general name of solar aircraft series of NASA’s solar
aircraft project. This project was started at 1974 and it was developed until Helios Prototype
at 1999.

New product development process

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 As second group we will define engine power output to drive the plane so we should
know power needed of these projects. Wing area of Solar Impulse has 11,628
photovoltaic cells: 200 m2 (2,200 sq ft). Power plant of solar impulse has 4 × electric motors,
powered by lithium-ion batteries (450 kg), providing 7.5 kW (10 HP) each.

On the other hand the larger wing used on the Helios Prototype for more solar arrays
to provide adequate power for the sun-powered development flights that followed. Totally,
number of engines is 10 ( 2 hp (1.5 kW) each). Solar pwr output (kW) is 18.5 and
supplemental power is Li batteries and fuel cell.

Fig 1.1 Basic Principle

Solar panels, composed by solar cells connected in a certain configuration, cover a

certain surface of wing or other part of the airplane (tail, fuselage,). During the day,
depending on the sun irradiance and the inclination of the rays, the convert light into
electrical energy. A converter, called Maximum Power Point Tracker, ensures that the
maximum amount of power is obtained from the solar panels. This power is used firstly to
power the propulsion group and the onboard electronics, and secondly to charge the battery
with surplus of energy. During the night, as no more power comes from the solar panels, only
the battery supplies the various elements. This is schematically represented on the figure
above.

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 Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

There is a cruciform wing structure for solar powered aircraft on which 28 cells are
mounted on horizontal wing surfaces. For maintaining normal to the sun rays wing surfaces
with span wise axis perpendicular to horizontal surfaces. The solar airplane may of
conventional design with respect to fuselage, propeller and tail or may construct around core
with propeller mechanism near the tips of airfoils. Solar powered aircraft is capable of
continuous flight nowadays. The research activities carried out till now have been mainly
focused on flying wings or conventional aircraft configurations, with a great emphasis on the
technological aspects. The paper deals with the current state of art of empower the aviation
industry with solar power and the shortcoming and the future aspect. The Autonomous
Systems Lab has developed, with ESA program, an ultra-light weight solar autonomous
model airplane called Sky-Sailor. The main goal of this project is to research on navigation,
control of the plane. The airplane will be capable of continuous flight over days and nights,
which makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. Energy optimal path planning and
perpetual endurance for unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with solar cells on the wings,
which collect energy used to drive a propeller. Perpetual endurance is the ability to collect
more energy than is lost during a day. This paper shows two unmanned aerial vehicle
missions:
(1) to travel between given positions within an allowed duration while maximizing the final
value of energy and (2) to loiter perpetually from a given position, which requires perpetual
endurance. For the first one, the problem is of energy-optimal path planning features the
coupling of the aircraft kinematics and energetic models through the bank angle. The problem
is then formulated as an optimal control problem, with the bank angle and speed as inputs.
The power ratio is used to predict the qualitative features of the optimal paths. If the power
ratio exceeds a certain threshold, perpetual endurance is possible. [14]There are the solar
airplanes which have a facility to sustain energy for flight during day-night cycles. Close to
the Earth surface they are useful for transportation and at high altitudes, they are useful for
monitoring and measurement applications, therefore they are targeted by several research
groups and institutions. Also it indicates that how to choose the essential design parameters
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of the airplane for a specific mission, minding the current state-of-the-art technologies
involved. Solar airplanes using both batteries as energy storage devices as well as their
capability of flying performanceoptimizing altitude profiles can be sized and evaluated in
terms of various performance measures. [15]There is the concept of the exploration of
neighbour planets around the earth. The ground robots are used but they have limitations. So,
an aircraft which uses sun energy for flying continuously is approach of interests in this way.
The step in this direction was a project of sky-sailor started in 2004. The aim was to study the
possibility of solar powered aircrafts in the atmosphere of those planets. There is the result of
two years of work on this project. There is also a solar powered air craft which uses solar
energy to electrolyze on board water to produce hydrogen. All this hydrogen is stored in
various on board tanks making the aircraft lighter than air. The hydrogen also used to operate
fuel cells which supply power for electrical parts including motor of a propeller. Further
water comes as waste from fuel cells is used to produce hydrogen. This type of aircraft do not
emit any harmful substance and also flies for indefinitely time. There is a only problem of
leakage of hydrogen and water. [19]The design features of fuel-less air vehicles and their
sensitivity to several key performance metrics for this class of aircraft are discussed by Adam
M. Wickenheiser and EphrahimGarcia in their paper. They studied aircraft with wingspans in
the range of 3 to 5 m and Reynolds no in range of 5*105 to 5*106 is considered. New metrics
are showed that are unique to a microwave powered aircraft and are also useful in the
development of its missions.
These metrics are related to the design of the aircraft, the energy transmitter to the
duration and range of the vehicle’s missions. In addition an examination of the strong
coupling among the aircraft’s flight performance, power harvesting abilities, and its mission
capabilities is also analyzed. Different wing shapes are showed for coupling. Also tradeoffs
between flight performance and power harvesting performance are shown. Based on the
above review, we would like to make an aircraft which is operated on solar power. In this
literature we have analyzed designs of different solar airplanes invented. Now we will
design modified aircraft which will take very short runway for takeoff.
Our basic principle is to use solar power by means of aircraft. And this thing can be
done by solar panels which cover the whole surface of wing. This panels converts radiative
energy into electric energy. This electric energy is used to charge battery which drives
electric motor. Propeller which is mounted on motor shaft produces thrust continuously.
Because of this, aircraft is moved and force is produced on wing by dynamic effect of air
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which opposes the downward force of weight. During the night, the only energy available
comes from the battery. A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts solar energy
into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. It is very widely used in space application because
it allows a clean and long-duration source of energy requiring almost no maintenance. Solar
cells are composed of various semiconducting materials, constituting one or more layers.

 Solar power conversion into electric energy by means of Aircraft.

 It can be done by solar panels which covers the definite
 Surface area of wings. A convertor ensures that the solar panels are working at
 Their maximum power point. The electric energy is used to charge battery which
drive Electric motor.
 Propeller is mounted on motor shaft produces thrust Continuously

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 Chapter 3
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE SOLAR
AIRCRAFT

It is important to use Solar Aircraft because the fossil fuels are finishing day by day and It
also release heat which is causing Global Warming.

Fig 3.10 Solar Aircraft

3.1 HISTORY
It is manned solar-powered aircraft that was designed by David Williams and
produced by Solar Powered Aircraft Co. The planning of the aircraft was started in 1979. It
first flew in 2014 across the Asia to America. The Helios Prototype solar-electric airplane
was an uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV), were developed

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as technology demonstrators under Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology
(ERAST) project. Prior to its loss during flight in June 2003, the Helios Prototype set a world
altitude record for propeller-driven aircraft of almost 97,000 feet.
Their are two types of solar powered airplanes as follows,
Unmanned Solar Powered Airplanes:
 Sunrise I (1974)
 Solaris (1976)
 Solar Excel (1990)
Manned Solar Airplanes:

 Solar Riser (1979)

 Solar Challenger (1981)
 Helinet (1998)
 Solar Impuse And Solar Impuse 2 (2009)

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 Chapter 4
DESIGN METHOD

The design methodology consists of simple 5 parameters linked to the design of the airplane
and they are as follows,
 Solar Cell
 Energy Storage[Battery]
 Electric Motor
 Aerodynamic of Wings
 Propeller
 MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker)
SOLAR IRRADIANCE
 Solar Irradiance is a measure of the irradiance (Power per unit area on the Earth's
surface) produced by the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation
4.1 CURRENT AND VOLTAGE OF SOLAR CELL
When the cell pads are not connected, no current produced and the voltage equals V=
0, the open circuit voltage.
 When it is short circuited, the voltage is zero but the current equals ISC.
 In between these two points where in both cases the power retrieved is zero, there is
working point, called the maximum power point.
 The current of a solar cell is proportional to its area and
varies almost linearly with the light intensity
4.2 MAXIMUM POWERPOINT TRACKER
 A solar cell has a working point on its current to voltage curve where the power
retrieved is maximum.
 The constantly changing irradiance conditions, and thus get the highest amount of
energy, a so called Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) is required.
 An MPPT is basically DC/DC converter with variable and adjustable gain between
the input and the output voltage.
 The input being the solar panels and the output the battery.
 It contains electronics that monitor both the current and the voltage on each side.

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4.3 POWER STORAGE

When the energy production is not constant and continuous, a good energy storage method is
necessary.
 Different ways to store energy:
 Chemical (hydrogen, biofuels)
 Electrochemical (batteries, fuel cells)
 Electrical (capacitor, super capacitor, superconducting magnetic energy storage)
 Mechanical (compressed air, flywheel)
 Thermal
 In the case of a solar airplane, the gravimetric energy density also called specific
energy. The peak power are the most crucial parameters that determine the choice of
the energy storage method.
 Therefore in present case, the electrochemical batteries and the fuel cells are the two
best candidates.
ELECTROCHEMICAL BATTERIES
 Electrochemical batteries are energy storage devices, which are able to convert
chemically stored energy into electrical energy during discharging.
 They are composed of a cathode and an anode, made of two dissimilar metals that are
in contact with an electrolyte.
 When all elements are in contact with each other, a flow of electron is produced.
ELECTRIC MOTOR
 An electric motor uses electrical energy to produce mechanical energy.
 There are a very large variety of electric motors that coexist because of the different
supply sources, sizes, torques and speeds depending on the application.
 In the present case, DC (Direct Current or Continuous Current) motor will be used as
solar airplane is designed to run on DC electric power supplied by a battery.
 The advantages of DC motors are numerous:
 Very precise speed control.
 . High efficiency.
 Reliability with longer lifetime (no brush abrasion and no
 ionizing sparks).
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  Their power to weight ratio is exceptionally high.
PROPELLER
 The propeller is a device consisting of a set of two or more twisted, airfoil shaped
blades
 The blades are mounted around a shaft and spun to provide propulsion of a vehicle
through a fluid.
 It accelerates incoming air particles creating a reaction force called thrust.
4.4 AERODYNAMICS OF WINGS
 The design and analysis of wings of aircraft is principle application of science of
aerodynamics.
 Once a plane leaves the ground, it is acted upon by four aerodynamic forces.
 Thrust
 Drag
 Weight
 Lift
 The lift maintains the airplane compensating the weight.
 The drag that is compensated by the thrust of the propeller

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 Fig 4.1 Aerodynamics Of Wings

WEIGHT
There is mass difference between the weight of a normal aircraft and a solar aircraft.
A normal plane weight 560 Tons and A Solar Plane weight 2 tons.

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 Chapter 5

ADVANTAGES

 Sunlight is renewable day after day.

 Solar energy is free and we save money.

 Solar energy is a clean energy.

 It does not pollute air.

 Solar energy which not used during the day can be stored in a battery system for

night.

 We wouldn’t have to worry as much about future energy ources.

 People can save money.

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 Chapter 6
DISADVANTAGES

 Collecting solar energy depends on location and weather conditions.

 Only 1 or 2 people can sit in aircraft.
 Cost is high.
 Solar panels and other collectors take up a lot of space.
 May cause hazards to the birds.
 Hazards to eyesight from solar reflectors.
 We cannot produce solar electricity at night.

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 Chapter 7
APPLICATIONS

 As a transport vehicle to reduce cost and to increase overall profit to reduce fuel cost.
 Use of free energy means nothing to invest in transportation of materials and get free
transportation after investing in small aircraft.
 One main reason of traffic is due to the big and bulky transporting vehicles so by
using small lighter aircraft traffic problem can be reduce.
 Fast transportation of materials so some expensive material can also transport in less
time.
 One kind of solar aircraft is in astrology industries as a transporting vehicle used to go
in space or on neighbour planets.
 Use of solar aircraft worldwide can make fast development of countries.
 Use of Solar Energy as source of energy will increase as conventional fuels are
reducing drastically.
 Future of aviation field.
 Future utility to solve traffic problems.
 Device used for Astronomical field.
 Utility of solar aircraft in transporting which can be helpful to reduce cost of
transportation.
 Lower cost of transportation than conventional vehicles.
 Lighter in weight and not bulky

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 Chapter 8
CONCLUSION

The Plettenberg Orbit 20-10 is quite a versatile motor in that it will run very nicely on
either 4S or 5S. I have focused on its potential as a 5S motor when running on an 11 tooth
pinion with 515 mm carbon blades. The Orbit is neither a heavy motor or an expensive motor
and therefore I think it offers good price/performance. If you are looking for a motor that will
give you the option to start learning 3-D flight without moving to higher voltage packs and
more expensive motors then this could be a good option. Certainly this motor will run quite
happily on 4S for sport flying and basic 3-D flying. Overall I enjoyed flying with the Orbit, it
was a very predictable motor, didn't run too hot and produced a respectable performance. I
wouldn't hesitate to recommend this motor to a pilot looking to progress their skills without
investing heavily in more expensive equipment. This motor would also make a very good first
motor for a beginner as it has the ability to grow with the pilot has their ability improves.

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 Chapter 9
REFERENCES

[1] http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/solarcells/

[2] http://solar-panels.findthebest.com/

[3] http://www.siliconsolar.com/commercial-solar-cells.html

[4] http://www.siliconsolar.com/1400ma-077w-commercial-solar-cell-p-501122.html

[5] http://adamone.rchomepage.com/calc_motor.htm

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