Journal of the Korean Society for Railway (한국철도학회논문집)

The Korean Society for Railway (한국철도학회)
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An Exploratory Study on the Applicability of Thin-Film Photovoltaic Cells for Auxiliary Power Supply of a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) Vehicle

PRT 차량의 보조 전력공급을 위한 유연소재 태양전지의 적용 가능성 연구

  • Kang, Seok-Won (New Transportation Systems Research Center, Korea Railroad Research Institute) ;
  • Han, Soo-Jin (New Transportation Systems Research Center, Korea Railroad Research Institute) ;
  • Jeong, Rag-Gyo (New Transportation Systems Research Center, Korea Railroad Research Institute) ;
  • Oh, Hyuck Keun (High-speed Railroad Systems Research Center, Korea Railroad Research Institute) ;
  • Ko, Sangwon (Eco-Transport Research Division, Korea Railroad Research Institute) ;
  • Choi, Dooho (New Transportation Systems Research Center, Korea Railroad Research Institute)
  • Received : 2013.10.22
  • Accepted : 2014.03.19
  • Published : 2014.04.30
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Abstract

Recently, trends in new transportation system development have been primarily focused on sustainable and ecofriendly mobility solutions. The personal rapid transit (PRT) system has been considered a promising candidate in this category; its competitiveness is being improved through convergence with cutting-edge electric vehicle (EV) technologies. However, battery-powered vehicles pose difficult technical challenges in attempts to achieve reliable and efficient operation. In this study, a design approach for a solar-power assisted PRT system is presented with small-scale demonstrations aimed at circumventing challenges facing its adoption, as well as helping speed the transition to electric-powered ground transportation. From the results, it is expected that flexible photovoltaic (PV) cells will be able to supply 11% of the power required by the service equipment installed in a prototype vehicle. In particular, flexible photovoltaic (PV) cells are advantageous in terms of cost, weight, and design considerations. Most importantly, the cells' flexibility and attach-ability are expected to give them great potential for extended application in various areas.

최근의 신 교통시스템 개발 동향은 주로 지속가능하고 친환경적인 교통수단을 제공하는데 초점이 맞춰져 있다. 그 중에서도, 수요응답형 순환교통(PRT: Personal Rapid Transit) 시스템은 그 가능성 때문에 주목을 받고 있으며, 첨단 전기 자동차(EV) 개발 기술과의 융합을 통해서 경쟁력은 보다 향상되고 있다. 하지만 전기 배터리에 의해 구동되는 차량의 경우 안정적이고 효율적인 운영의 측면에서 기술적인 어려움에 직면하고 있다. 본 논문에서는, 기술적인 난제를 극복하고 전기에너지를 기반으로 한 교통수단의 보급을 증대하기 위하여 태양전지에 의한 보조 전력 공급을 위한 설계적 접근방법에 대해서 모형실험을 통해서 논한다. 그 결과, 실제 차량에 적용했을 시 보조 전원 공급장치로서 일부 서비스 기기에 소요되는 전력량의 대략 11% 정도를 감당할 수 있을 것으로 예측되었다. 특히, 유연소재 태양전지의 장점은 저렴하고 가벼우며 디자인 의도를 최대한 살릴 수 있다는 데 있다. 무엇보다도 유연함과 용이한 부착성은 다양한 분야에서의 확대 적용 가능성을 보여준다.

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References

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