Design of a Novel Mobile Solar-PV Energy System for an Average House in the Texas Panhandle

This paper aims at evaluating and presenting a solar-PV energy system offering a secondary, affordable, mobile, and reliable renewable source of electricity made from two Sun-tracking, 300-Watt solar panels along with the electrical hardware necessary to optimize electricity harnessed and stored.The proposed system will establish deeper understanding of the optimal performance of mobile solar energy systems under normal conditions and during emergencies.A prototype of this system was built at WTAMU thanks to funding obtained from an internal grant as well as capstone senior design funding that allowed undergraduate senior students to build the prototype over a full academic year.This project will open a gate to undergraduate research on solar energy in the Texas Panhandle, which is a region rich in solar energy resources.This paper will describe the prototype, and experimental results will show daily electricity harnessed from the system in an average house in Amarillo, TX.The proposed system will not only advance the understanding of mobile solar energy but also provide a green, environmentally friendly energy source helping with typical daily electricity needs as well during catastrophes.The research leading up to this system aligns with the federal goal of achieving higher percentage of renewable energy per state.This system provides between 8% to 63% of the daily electricity demand for an average household during normal times and can act as a standalone emergency source of electricity during natural disasters that result in long-lasting power outages.