Browsing by Author "Anuradha, U.A.D.N."

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    Automatic Sun Tracking Solar Panel
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Anuradha, U.A.D.N.; Chathuranga, K.W.S.
    People are considering to use alternative energy sources due to impending scarcity of nonrenewable resources. From all other resources available, solar energy is the most abundant and it is relatively easy to convert to electric energy. Using solar panels to convert solar energy to electricity is very popular, nevertheless fixed solar panels cannot generate optimum energy due to the east-to-west transition of the sun. To maximize energy, the solar panel must be perpendicular to the sun's rays. If it deviates from this optimum angle, the energy generation efficiency from the panel decreases. The active tracker relies on the detection circuit to detect the light intensity and align the panel as the sun using a motor. This project was designed and implemented for a polar single axis solar panel tracker. It has a fixed vertical axis and an adjustable horizontal motor control axis. The tracker actively tracks the sun and changes its position to maximize energy output. This system solves the problem by arranging solar panels to track the sun. This tracking movement is accomplished by using a servomotor on the solar panel so that the panel always keeps its face perpendicular to the sun to generate maximum energy. This is accomplished by using a programmed Arduino board according to the light sensor (LDR) signal, the servo motor sends a signal to rotate the attached panel as needed. Subsequent, the interface with the sensor, the control of the motor, and the power supply function are performed by the energy generated from the solar panel. This is a far more cost effective solution than purchasing additional solar panels when dealing with large panel arrays. This project develops an automatic tracking system which will keep the solar panels aligned with the sun in order to maximize efficiency, which is capable of enhancing production of power by 20-30%. It has been estimated that the use of a tracking system, over a fixed system, can increase the power by 30-60%. Keywords: Arduino, Solar Energy, Servo motor, LDR
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    Designing a Fully Automated Pot for Gardeners and a Survey on the Use of the Features to the Consumers
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2019) Jayawardhana, H.P.N.; Liyanapathirana, B.C.; Anuradha, U.A.D.N.; Kumari, K.W.S.N.
    This research introduces a new design for an automatic plant caring system which can be used for planting herbs, vegetables or ornamental plants as per consumers’ choice. At present, people are accustomed to purchasing vegetables and fruits from the market, and it seems that only a few people supply their food from their own garden. Many researches have been carried out parallel to this subject on separate features such as automatic watering, automatic fertilizing, and pest and weed controlling and automatic lighting system. A survey on the difficulties faced by horticulturists and the importance of automatic plant caring systems was done by selecting people chosen at random. The age of the selected group ranged between 10-80 years. Result of the survey was analyzed. Moreover the features included in this design and the priority given by the gardener for the highest price that wishes to purchase such items was evaluated in the survey. Majority of the people have requested the item for a price less than 1000 rupees. By evaluating the survey, most of them concluded that there was no time for gardening to be a major problem. Problems other than that were pests, weeds and climate issues. Most people request automatic water supply, pest and weed control and automatic fertilizer as the features included in the automatic plant caring system. In this research, appropriate design of automatic plant care system was also introduced using software. This system is designed to use drip hydroponic technique where fertilizer is supplied via water by dripping plant roots into a tank. When there is no sunlight, light is automatically supplied using the LED panel. The purpose of this work is to show how someone can easily engage in gardening and use this device to supply fresh vegetables and fruits. Similarly, this pot can also be used as a decorative item by planting ornamental plants.