Specifications

3.3 Power Storage

Having this mobile power generator would be pointless when the sun isn‟t out and the

wind isn‟t blowing. For this reason, we need to harvest and store the energy as

electrical energy when it is available.

 The system should be capable of running a laptop and projector for at least 2

hours on average.

 The system should be capable of being fully recharged in less than 6 hours of

sunlight

 The system should be capable of simultaneously storing the power generated by

the wind turbine and solar cells.

 The system should indicate the charged state of the battery to the user in a

percentage.

 When the battery is being drained, an approximate runtime remaining should be

indicated to the user.

 The battery should weigh less than 60 lbs.

3.4 Display

In order to report the status of the battery, rate of discharge, and runtime remaining,

some sort of electronic display must be used.

 The display should consume less than 5 W.

 The display should indicate the charge state of the battery.

 The display should indicate the runtime remaining.

 The display should indicate the rate of discharge.

 The display should indicate any problems that may arise with the system.

3.5 Physical Requirements

The entire system needs to be a size and weight that‟s reasonable enough to often be

relocated. The system needs to be low maintenance, and should be easy to assemble

and disassemble.

 The entire system should weigh less than 100 lbs.

 The entire system should be able to fit in the trunk of a standard car, or 10 cubic

feet.

 The system should incorporate wheels so that it can be easily moved.

 The system should seal out moisture so that the electronics are not affected by it.

 The system should be modular and clearly indicate a method for assembly.

4 Research

4.1 Hardware

Now that the goals, objectives, specifications and requirements have been laid out, all

options on how to achieve them must be explored. Starting with hardware, everything

from the proper battery to use to best microcontroller to use for calculating the amount

of power generated must be thoroughly investigated to be sure that all options are

evenly weighed out. It is only after this process that decisions can be made on types of