Design and construction of solar energy –operated inverter suitable for school laboratory and rural development activities in Niger State.

Abstract

The study aimed at constructing a solar energy-operated inverter capable of transforming 12 voltsdirect current (d.c) from a solar panelto 220 volts alternating current (a.c) as alternative source of electricity for school laboratory experiment and household use especially in rural areas, lite constructed components of the inverter consist of a transformer, inverter switching circuit and pulse generation circuit. The transformer was made of 160 turns in the primary winding and 1400 turns in the secondary winding. Each winding has two lapping points. The inverter switching circuit was made up of two set* of power transistors, two on each side. The pulse generator was designed to serve as oscillator, made up of resistors, transistors, capacitors and diodes. A rectangular metal sheet cabinet was constructed to house the entire circuit. The study will be beneficial to electricity consumers especially rural dwellers who are in need of power supply tor domestic use. Schools will also benefit the study as the inverter could be used for laboratory experiments.