Development of Low-cost Remote Online Laboratory for Photovoltaic Cell and Module Characterization

Laboratory experiments are vital component of engineering education. In recent years, significant interest and shift of paradigm from in-class to online teaching is observed which although offers many benefits but poses a great challenge to integrate lab experiments into online courses and degree programs. Internet-based laboratories are a potential solution to address this challenge and to meet required course level outcomes for distant learning students. This paper discusses the design and development of a novel low-cost remote laboratory system and associated experiments designed for introductory level as well as advanced learners of photovoltaics and renewable energy courses. The hardware setup consists of an integrated source-measure unit, LED array illumination system, and interconnection electronics controlled by an embedded Python program running on a Raspberry Pi Zero W. Measurement multiplexing approach allows multiple users to access the system and perform real-time experiments at the same time. The system communicates to a remote computer through google APIs and therefore can work under any wifi environment or even cellular network connections without the hassle and complexity of hosting a local server. Users can remotely access the system, perform experiments and acquire experimental data through a graphical user interface developed using Visual C#. The user-end program is made freely available to students and is currently patent pending. The paper details the hardware setup, software interface, discusses the designed experiments and future prospects.