Performance analysis of a wearable photovoltaic system

Abstract

This paper provides a performance analysis of a wearable photovoltaic system mounted on the outer surface of a backpack. Three types of photovoltaic materials, commonly used for electricity generation, have been investigated under various conditions including sun irradiance, angle-of-incidence and sun inclination. The results of the investigation have shown that the system equipped with the rigid mono-Si panels performs 3.5 to 4.9 times better than the system equipped with a-Si flexible PV modules. The average power generated by the wearable photovoltaic system is about 30% of the maximum installed power for any photovoltaic type. This paper presents the test data resulting from the evaluation of the daily energy production of a wearable photovoltaic power supply.

Energy Efficient Framework for a AIoT Cardiac Arrhythmia Detection System Wearable during Sport

“…The selected mono-crystalline PV module of dimension 113 × 89 × 5 mm for the intelligent ECG device produces 157.34 mAh at a typical STC (i.e., 1000 W/m 2 and a cell temperature of 25 °C). Regarding a capture efficiency of 35% for a wearable operation of the solar PV module [37,38], the harvester system provides ≈55.1 mAh, which means a battery life extension for 1.7 more training sessions without the need for manually recharging or replacing the battery.…”

Comprehensive evaluation of a photovoltaic energy harvesting system in smart clothing for mountain rescuers

“…The highest power density is offered by rigid monocrystalline PV cells [19]. However, their integration with clothing is problematic, making them appropriate only where the required PV module area is small (low power demand) [17] and where there is no necessity of integration with textiles [18].…”

“…However, their integration with clothing is problematic, making them appropriate only where the required PV module area is small (low power demand) [17] and where there is no necessity of integration with textiles [18]. In any other case, flexible PV modules must be used, so as not to impede body movements even where a large area is covered [19]. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology has progressed much in the recent years, with cell efficiencies reaching above 10% [20].…”

“…Carrying out tests with humans moving outdoors for extended periods of time is problematic, so measurement intervals are of a few minutes, which is insufficient. More reliable results are obtained by taking repeated measurements over one or several days [4, 5, 19]. Still, such tests only provide data on the power delivered by the PV generator under specific conditions, which is not identical with the power delivered to the load.…”

“…This makes it necessary to investigate the ergonomic properties of the resulting clothing in order to avoid a potential restriction of body movements and ensure user's acceptance. However, this aspect is absent from other works [4, 19]. In this paper, results of ergonomic tests are included in addition to electrical ones, thus providing solid grounds for a complete assessment of the proposed solution.…”