A solar photovoltaic power system for use in Antarctica

Technical Report · Wed Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:5173462

Kohout, L L; Merolla, A; Colozza, A

A solar photovoltaic power system was designed and built at the NASA Lewis Research Center as part of the NASA/NSF Antarctic Space Analog Program. The system was installed at a remote field camp at Lake Hoare in the Dry Valleys, and provided a six-person field team with electrical power for personal computers and printers, lab equipment, lighting, and a small microwave oven. The system consists of three silicon photovoltaic sub-arrays delivering a total of 1.5 kWe peak power, three lead-acid gel battery modules supplying 2.4 kWh, and an electrical distribution system which delivers 120 Vac and 12 Vdc to the user. The system was modularized for ease of deployment and operation. Previously the camp has been powered by diesel generators, which have proven to be both noisy and polluting. The NSF, in an effort to reduce their dependence on diesel fuel from both an environmental and cost standpoint, is interested in the use of alternate forms of energy, such as solar power. Such a power system also will provide NASA with important data on system level deployment and operation in a remote location by a minimally trained crew, as well as validate initial integration concepts.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5173462
• Report Number(s): N-94-24071; NASA-TM--106417; E--8254; NAS--1.15:106417; CNN: NAS3-25266; RTOP 199-52-82
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140600* -- Solar Energy-- Photovoltaic Power Systems
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
CRYOSPHERE
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
PILOT PLANTS
POLAR REGIONS
POWER SUPPLIES
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TESTING