A B S T R A C TThe present energy consumption scenario is clearly showing the faster depletion of fossil fuel reserves. On the other hand, energy usage index indicates the state of growth of a country. The use of renewable energy sources like solar PV, wind and such alternatives has increased in the recent years. Considerable loss in conversion efficiency of solar PV system has been noticed due to nonavailability of proper insolation and accumulation of dust particles on the panels or shading. A comparative study of various cleaning methods of solar panels has been done in this article with emphasis on innovative idea of separation of dust by electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Electrostatic precipitators uses static electricity to remove the dust from the panel by applying energy only to the particular matter being collected and therefore is very efficient in its applications unlike conventional cleaning. This increases the solar panels insolation absorption ability. The weight sensor continuously monitor the weight of the dust on the panel and Arduino controller gives the command to clean the dust when defined feedback is received from the sensors. Electrostatic precipitators work by ionizing the dust on the surface area of solar panel and forcing dirt particles towards the electrodes which are like electrical terminals. The first electrode is charged to a very high negative voltage and other to the positive. The positively charged electrode collects the dust particles. The particles attached to the positively charged plates are expelled or removed periodically to keep the panel dust free either manually or automatically.

The programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is the central controlling unit in the industry or a process. The effective operation of the process and safety considerations if programmed appropriately can meet the required objectives. The present technical paper briefly distinguishes the present automation systems and the past technologies to identify and explore the capabilities of PLCs for any process. The relay logic and contactor logics (RLC) were practiced in the olden days which include the human intervention and errors. The advent and application of microprocessors, microcontrollers and new specific tools such as PLCs, Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and Distributed control systems (DCS) have increased productivity, accuracy, precision and efficiency. These systems reduced human intervention and increased the flexibility in the process control. The keyword automation clearly states that the working of a process or repetition in an efficient manner by incorporating mechanisms and control sequences in the proper order several times with acceptable deviations in the output of the process.

No abstract

Energy audit plays a vital role in deciding energy

A B S T R A C TSecurity is the prime concern in our day to day life while performing any activity. In the current scenario, accidental death of lineman is often read and evidenced. In this direction, a safety measure to safe guard the operator is found very necessary looking into the present working style. The electric lineman safety system is designed to control the control panel doors and circuit breaker by using a password for the safety. Critical electrical accidents to lineman are on the rise during electric line repair may be due to lack of communication and co-ordination between the maintenance staff and electric substation staff. The proposed system provides a solution that ensures safety of lineman. The control to turn ON or OFF the line is maintained by the lineman. The system has an arrangement such that a password is required to operate the doors of the control panel and circuit breaker (ON/OFF). A secured password is requested and received from the control room by the lineman for the point of repair or service. This request is registered and a password is sent to the lineman's mobile and control panel GSM module for the further work. The password is entered through the matrix keypad which is interfaced to the Arduino Uno microcontroller. The entered password is compared with the password received by the control panel GSM receiver. If the entered password is correct then the circuit breaker ON/OFF and door OPEN/CLOSE feature is enabled for the lineman to take up repair. Any intruder tries to operate the mechanism with the wrong password by three times it will display a message in the LCD display and a message is sent to the control room regarding unauthorized accessing of the system for the safety reasons.