This honors thesis proposes a sustainable solution for providing off-grid solar energy to rural communities lacking grid energy infrastructure. The proposed design emphasizes sustainability, low cost, reliability, and ease of maintenance and manufacturing. The report compares pre-built solar systems currently available for purchase with the proposed design. The project includes a user manual draft to ensure long-term sustainability and troubleshooting. Additionally, there is a detailed engineering design for a battery storage solution, electrical component design, and solar panel mounting system. A rural community in northern Arizona serves as an example for the project completed in collaboration with ASU's EPICS program and EWB Chapter. The project is ongoing, with future work to optimize and improve the proposed system design.
Details
- A Sustainable Solution for Off-Grid Solar Power in Remote Communities
- Beltran Ruelas, Salvador (Author)
- Montano Sosa, Jorge (Co-author)
- Haq, Emmen (Co-author)
- Pham, Brandon (Co-author)
- Schoepf, Jared (Thesis director)
- Wong, Marnie (Committee member)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)