A team of researchers from the Odisha University of Technology and Research in India has created an AI-powered model for direct current (DC) electric motors. These motors are powered by solar panels and do not require connection to the grid for charging.

This technology has the potential to be applied on a large scale in industries, homes, and even electric vehicles (EVs), as reported by Interesting Engineering.

Bismit Mohanty was the lead researcher on the project.

By using solar-powered electric motors, electrical devices can switch to cleaner sources of energy and become less reliant on the traditional power grid.

AI solar panels explained

Typically, a battery is used to store any excess energy generated by solar panels. This excess energy can then be used to power car motors when sunlight is not available.

While real-world DC motors have achieved energy efficiencies of up to 80 percent, Mohanty’s team was able to reach efficiencies as high as 88 percent by optimizing the solar array output using AI.

To maximize energy from solar panels, the resistance of the panels needs to be reduced. To achieve this, Mohanty and his team developed a MATLAB model. In the model, they trained a neural network to determine the solar cell resistance that would result in maximum energy production.

The neural network used numerous temperature and irradiance measurements to determine the optimal resistance for maximum power output.

However, since this is a neural network solution, the specific criteria used to determine the optimal resistance remains unknown.

Practical applications

AI solar panels are likely to make wireless EV charging easier than ever.

Companies like Lightyear are already producing solar-powered vehicles. Technological advancements can contribute to the creation of cars that don’t just rely on solar energy but also match the performance of existing EVs.

In addition, it’s not just the EV sector that can benefit from AI-enhanced solar electric motors.

In households, these motors can power simpler devices like refrigerators and fans. In industries, they can perform tasks that traditionally rely on fossil fuels.

The researchers shared their findings at the 2023 International Conference on Smart Systems for Applications in Electrical Sciences.

Image Source: RobbReport, https://shorturl.at/bEV19