Design and implementation of a microcontroller-based protection system for solar walls

Solar energy, along with the other energy resources such as wind, tidal waves, hydroelectricity, and biomass, accounts for most of the available renewable energy on earth. Due to the growing use of solar and the other renewable energy technologies, many educational institutions are developing undergraduate and graduate courses and programs in renewable energy. The IUT Bethune in France is using a project-based instructional approach to allow the undergraduate electrical engineering students to develop skills in the use of solar energy technologies. This paper describes a renewable-energy based capstone design project conducted at the IUT Bethune.