Solar energy as an alternative energy source to power mobile robots

Abstract

Solar energy can provide a viable alternative energy source to meet the special energy demands that are typically required to operate mobile robots. Conventional energy sources cannot fulfil these demands as satisfactorily as solar energy can, given the disfavour that conventional energy sources find in an eco-conscious world, and also given the practical limitations associated with conventional energy sources which cannot conveniently be accessed in places where mobile robots are normally put to use which are often inaccessible and beyond human reach. This study seeks to demonstrate that solar energy can be harnessed and stored using hydrogen as a medium to store an otherwise intermittent supply of energy that is characteristic of solar energy. In this study, an Industrial Mobile Robot Platform (IMRP) was designed to run on fuel cells using a low-pressure metal hydride hydrogen storage system which would store more energy on board than a rechargeable battery could.