INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 4, ISSUE 09, SEPTEMBER 2015 ISSN 2277-8616 416 IJSTR©2015 www.ijstr.org Synchronization Between Solar Panel & AC Grid Supply For Different Loads Monika Verma, Harshit Agarwal, Naman Rawat, Vivek Kashyap, Akshay Kumar Abstract: Today, with rising fuel costs, increasing concerns for global climate change, and a growing worldwide demand for electricity, utilizing renewable sources such as solar power becomes necessity rather than a luxury. The main focus is on providing energy at reasonable price but soon the day will come when the utilities will be focusing on encompassing sustainable use and environmental improvement into their agendas. Unlike conventional generation, the sunrays are available at no cost and generate electricity pollution-free. In today’s scenario solar power is provided to the load which remains in isolation with the grid. This paper aims at developing a real-time, robust and intelligent grid connected solar panel in order to provide power to the loads from solar panel at day time and switch the power to the constant DC sources as soon as the solar power falls below a pre- defined limit. This switching of power from solar panel to constant source is controlled through LabVIEW using Data Acquisition Card and power relay. The system can be deployed for a guaranteed access to power at home or industry, even if the solar energy fails or is insufficient. Index Terms: Renewable sources, intelligent grid connected solar panel, LabVIEW, Data Acquisition Card ———————————————————— 1. INTRODUCTION Energy plays a pivotal role in our daily activities. The degree of development and civilization of a country is measured by the amount of utilization of energy by human beings. Energy demand is increasing day by day due to increase in population, urbanization and industrialization. The world’s fossil fuel supply viz. Coal, petroleum and natural gas will thus be depleted in a few hundred years. The rate of energy consumption is increasing; supply is depleting resulting in inflation and energy shortage. This is called energy crisis. Hence alternative or renewable sources of energy have to be developed to meet future energy requirement. Now the point is what renewable and non-renewable energy are. Non-Renewable Energy These are the energy sources that we are using and cannot create in a short period of time. However, we get most of our energy from non-renewable energy sources, which include the fossil fuels – oil, natural gas, and coal. They’re called fossil fuels because they were formed over millions and millions of years by the action of heat from the Earth’s core and pressure from rock and soil in the remains of dead plants and animals. Renewable Energy These are the energy sources that we can use over and over again. Renewable energy sources include solar energy, which comes from the sun and can be turned into electricity and heat. Wind, geothermal energy from inside the earth, biomass from plants, and hydropower and ocean energy from water are also renewable energy sources. Solar power as the best renewable source of energy in India Due to its proximity to the equator, India receives abundant sunlight throughout the year. Solar PV solution has the potential to transform the lives of 450 million people, who rely on highly subsidized kerosene oil and other fuels, primarily to light up their homes. Renewable energy source is a practical solution to address the persistent demand supply gap in the power industry. The following features of solar power make it the most viable renewable source of energy for India:  Solar energy is available in abundance.  Available across the country – unlike other renewable sources, which have geographical limitations.  Available throughout the year.  Decentralized / off-grid applications – addressing rural electrification issues.  Modularity and scalability.  It causes no pollution to the environment. The PV approach is particularly suited for the geographical and socio-economic features of this country having highly skewed energy distribution between urban and rural areas. 2. SOLAR ENERGY: AN INTRODUCTION 2.1 PHOTOVOLTAIC: THE BASICS Photovoltaic (PV), or solar cells as they are often referred to, are semiconductor devices that convert sunlight into direct- current (DC) electricity. A typical silicon PV cell is a thin wafer consisting of a very thin layer of phosphorous doped (N-type) silicon on top of a thicker layer of boron-doped (P-type) silicon. An electrical field is created near the top surface of the cell where these two materials are in contact (the P-N junction.) When sunlight strikes the surface of a PV cell, this electrical field provides momentum and direction to light-stimulated electrons, resulting in a flow of current when the cell is connected to an electrical load. The amount of current generated by a PV cell depends on its efficiency, its size (surface area) and the intensity of sunlight striking the surface. For example, under peak sunlight conditions a typical commercial PV cell with a surface area of about 25 square inches will produce about 2 watts peak power. If the sunlight intensity were 40% of peak, this cell would produce about 0.8 ___________________  Monika Verma is currently pursuing master’s degree program in power electronics and drives in VIT University, Vellore, India, PH-07639796508. E-mail: monika.verma@rntbci.com