Publication: An experimental study on the rooftop rainwater energy harvester to generate electricity
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Date
2021-07-01
Authors
Mohd Idros, Muhammad Akram
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Abstract
This project investigates the use of the stream of rainwater runoff from building rooftop rain gutters to spin a Micro Hydro Turbine (MHT) in a cylindrical housing in generating electricity in a small-scale amount. The electricity generated by that MHT is used to charge 12-volt batteries, which can power LED lamps or other small household appliances. In this project, the experimental study focused on three parts which is the positions or heights of the MHT, the presence of Rainwater Buffer (RWB) and the torque of the generator. Two different positions or heights of the MHT are compared which arejust below the RWB and just above the ground or drain. A passive RWB is used to compare the water flow in the pipe when there is the presence or absence of the rainwater RWB. Two Permanent Magnet Generator (PMG) with different torque is used as the generator and the voltage
produce by both generators will be compared. So, in this study, 2 experiments will be conducted for each of the variables to find the best configuration to operate the system. For the energy harvesting part, a Pelton turbine is used to convert the potential energy from the water to kinetic energy to rotate the generator. A Voltage Regulator Converter (VRC) is connected to the generator to supply a uniform voltage for charging the batteries. For the energy-storing part, two circuit modules will be used in this system which is the Battery Management System (BMS) module to charge the three 3.7-volt batteries and a Step-Down Power module to supply sufficient voltage to power up the small appliances from the 12-volt batteries. This project provides on insight for the energy harvester researchers to choose the best setting to generate electricity from the rooftop rainwater.