Development of Arduino-based Power-Generation Data Logger for Evaluating Potential of Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaic Systems

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) systems can generate electricity while being driven or parked using solar cells mounted on the surface of a vehicle, thus offering high potential for reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency.However, empirical data that quantitatively evaluate the power-generation efficiency of VIPV systems in daily environments are inadequate.In this study, a power-generation data logger was developed to evaluate the potential of VIPV systems under various driving and parking conditions.The data logger comprises solar cells, current and voltage sensors, a GPS, and a storage module.It is designed to automatically obtain and store power-generation data in real time without requiring manual operation.The developed data logger was installed in the vehicles of 20 drivers in Busan and was used to obtain data in daily environments.This enabled us to analyze the irradiation loss and performance ratio of VIPV systems, which are critical for assessing their potential.