Using Ambient Light Sensors on Smartphones to Improve the Performance of Solar Chargers

Christian Schuss, Tore Leikanger, Bernd Eichberger, Timo Rahkonen

Abstract

This paper discusses the opportunities that exist to collect environmental data with the help of portable devices such as mobile phones. Under indoor environmental conditions, ambient data is vital in order to improve the performance of solar energy chargers. Sensing the light intensity and the temperature level can significantly contribute towards improving the output power of photovoltaics. For example, if the most beneficial location is known for deploying solar chargers in buildings, up to 100 times more solar energy can be collected during the same amount of time in a less suitable location. Moreover, the amount of gathered energy can be predicted and provided as helpful information for users. We analyse the performance of different types of ambient light sensors which are available in today’s smartphones. Additionally, we present a measurement platform which allows the gathering of ambient data with any type of mobile phone.

Keywords

Light, photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic energy, sensors, solar energy

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IMEKO-TC4-2014-436.pdf

DOI

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IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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