Performance evaluation of solar operated bidirectional grass cutter

Abstract

Power plays a great role wherever man lives and works. The liv­ing standard and prosperity of a nation vary directly with the increase in the use of power. The electricity requirement of the world is increasing at an alarming rate due to industrial growth, increased and extensive use of electrical gadgets. The best alternative source is solar energy. The paper aims at fabricating a bidirectional grass cutting machine based upon motor running through solar energy. A solar powered grass cutter is designed and developed, based on the general principle of mowing. To designed solar powered grass cutter A direct current (D.C) motor (3000RPM, 3A,12V), solar panel (12V, 20 watt), a stainless steel blade (2No’s) and control switch (2 No’s). Mowing is achieved by the D.C motor which provides the required torque needed to drive the stainless steel blade which is directly coupled to the shaft of the D.C motor. The area covered(perimeter) by the blades of cutter is around 1.09m The solar powered grass cutter is operated by two switches on board which are for On/Off and for changing the direction of rotation of blades. The On/Off switch closes the circuit and allows the flow of current to the motor which in turn drive the blade used for mowing. For backup purpose a rechargeable battery (12 volts, 9A) is used so that in case of cloudy weather or in any emergency this can be utilize. The battery recharges through the solar charging controller. Performance evaluation of the developed machine was carried out with different types of grasses.