KEYWORDS: Photovoltaics, LED lighting, Light emitting diodes, Solar cells, Light sources and illumination, Solar energy, Analytical research, Light sources, Solid state lighting, Energy efficiency
The market demand for commercialization of Photovoltaic (PV) systems depends a lot on the reliability, efficiency and
performance of various components within the system. PV panels produce DC power when exposed to sunlight, and an
inverter converts this to AC power in a typical solar powered building. Though, PV lighting has existed for a long time it
hasn't been very effective, as incandescent light sources were commonly used which are inefficient. Today fluorescent
fixtures are mostly used with PV's due to its high efficacy. Light-emitting diodes present a new vision to energy
efficiency in lighting design with their low energy consumption. Current research predicts improved efficiencies of LED
light fixtures and their commercial use is a few years away. LEDs which operate on DC voltages when coupled with
photovoltaics can be a simple PV lighting application and a sustainable solution with potential for payback.
This research evaluates the design and construction of a photovoltaic DC LED lighting system for a solar house at
Pennsylvania State University. A detailed cost and payback analysis of a PV DC LED lighting system is presented in
this research. PV output simulations for the solar house are presented. Results presented in this research indicate that the
Solid state lighting market is evolving rapidly and that LED's are a choice in stand-alone photovoltaic DC lighting
systems. The efficiency and the cost-effectiveness of such systems would however improve in the coming years with
research and development now focused on PV systems and on Solid state lighting technologies.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.