IEEE Electrification Magazine - June 2017 - 16

Max: 13.61 A

Max: 14.26 V

as remote monitoring, compatibility with different battery
chemistries and voltage levels, usage of higher-wattage PV
panels, and demand response.

14.5

13.5
13

12.5
0

dc Voltage (V)

dc Current (A)

14
10

12
0

3
4
Hour

Current (A)

Voltage (V)

panel using the DC2069 development board. [Figure courtesy of
Arizona State University (Shammya Saha and Nathan Johnson).]

12.6

12.2

11.8

11.4

dc Voltage (V)

dc Current (A)

11
0

2
Hour

Current (A)

Voltage (V)

Figure 14. Charging a 12-V, 20-Ah lead acid battery from two 60-W
panels using the DC2069 development board. [Figure courtesy of
Arizona State University (Shammya Saha and Nathan Johnson).]

voltage steadily increased to 14.3 V, and the panel maximum
rated output current of 8.16 A was lower than the maximum input current limit of the demo board. Since the
panel operates in the range of 29-31 V, the demo board regulated the output current per its design specification.
Meanwhile, Figure 14 shows the charging profile of the
same 12-V, 20-Ah battery from a series combination of two
60-W panels. The effect of variation in irradiance is also
visible. The rated current for the panels is approximately
1.8 A. The figure shows that the regulation of input power
by the UCC provides maximum output to the battery and
improved battery voltage compared to that of the single
290-W solar panel. These test results validated the design
decisions in the developing the UCC schematic and board.
The UCC offers a technical solution to reduce cost and
provide interoperability of community-driven and entrepreneur-driven distributed power solutions in remote
areas of the world. The open-source strategy permits the
extension of this work to include other components such

I E E E E l e c t r i f i c ati o n M agaz ine / j un e 2017

Each of the projects undertaken by IEEE Smart Village partners and entrepreneurs represent not just an application
of technology or business strategies. These projects manifest the dreams of each community: a vision for a better
future, hopes for the next generation, and the transformative power of collaboration among IEEE Members to
empower communities across the globe.

For Further Reading

Figure 13. Charging a 12-V, 20-Ah lead acid battery from a 290-W

Summary

Global Himalayan Expedition. [Online]. Available: http://
ghe.co.in
Mountain Homestays. [Online]. Available: http://
mountainhomestays.com
P. Loomba, S. Asgotraa, and R. Podmore, "DC solar
microgrids-A successful technology for rural sustainable
development," in Proc. IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Power
Africa Conf., 2016, pp 204-208.
I. B. Orajaka, "Unified green village electricity project concept: A suitable model for reliable renewable energy deployment in Nigeria," in Proc. IEEE Global Humanitarian Tech. Conf.,
2013, pp 78-91.
A. A. Anderson, S. Suryanarayanan, and R. Podmore,
"Capacity optimization of a community microgrid for rural
electrification," in Proc. IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Power
Africa Conf., to be published.
S. S. Saha, S. Janko, N. G. Johnson, R. Podmore, A. Riaud,
and R. Larsen, "A universal charge controller for integrating
distributed energy resources," in Proc. IEEE Global Humanitarian
Tech. Conf., 2016, pp 459-466.

biographies
Alexander Anderson (alexander.a.anderson@ieee.org) is
with Odin Energy Works LLC, North Bend, Washington.
Paras Loomba (paras@ghe.co.in) is with Global Himalayan Expedition, Ladakh, India.
Ifeanyi Orajaka (iorajaka@gve-group.com) is with
Green Village Energy Projects, Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, Nigeria.
Jude Numfor (njjudex@gmail.com) is with Renewable
Energy Innovators, Belo, Cameroon.
Shammya Saha (Shammya.Saha@asu.edu) is with Arizona State University, Mesa.
Samantha Janko (sjanko@asu.edu) is with Arizona
State University, Mesa.
Nathan Johnson (nathanjohnson@asu.edu) is with Arizona State University, Mesa.
Robin Podmore (robin@incsys.com) is with Incremental
Systems Corporation, Bellevue, Washington, and is a
cofounder of IEEE Smart Village.
Ray Larsen (larsen@slac.stanford.edu) is with Stanford
Linear Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo
Park, California, and is a cofounder of IEEE Smart Village.

http://http:// http://ghe.co.in http://http:// http://www.mountainhomestays.com

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