Development of solar hydrogen energy for mobile robots

Abstract

Mobile robots have demonstrated their versatility in a wide range of applications and situations. However, they are limited due to their reliance on traditional energy sources such as electricity and petroleum which cannot always provide a convenient energy source in all situations. Moreover, in a more eco-conscious modern world, these energy sources, which require the burning of a fuel in order to generate the output of electricity, are increasingly being shunned in favour of cleaner alternative energy sources such as solar energy. This study seeks to demonstrate the viability of an alternative, renewable, energy source for the operation of mobile robots. For the purposes of this study, an Industrial Mobile Robot Platform (IMRP) was designed that would run on solar power making use of an array of photovoltaic panels. In order to overcome the limitations of solar power, which is dependent on the availability of sunshine and thus cannot provide a constant source of energy, an energy storage medium was employed making use of metal hydrides. The advantage of this medium is that it is able to store energy in the form of hydrogen produced from solar energy, thus providing a reliable and constant energy source to power the IMRP. The IMRP was fabricated to run on hydrogen fuel cells using a low-pressure metal hydride hydrogen storage system that can store more energy on board than current conventional energy storage methods. The results show that solar energy can indeed provide a viable renewable energy source to power IMRPs, and that its limitations due to solar being an inconstant energy source can be overcome by the use of energy storage materials in the form of metal hydrides that store energy produced from solar power, and thereby satisfying the constant demand for energy.