Bazan Palacios, N. (2022, August), Efficiency-Testing a Solar-Powered Payload for Stratospheric Ballooning  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41808

\bibitem{asee_peer_41808}
  Bazan Palacios, N. (2022, August), \emph{Efficiency-Testing a Solar-Powered Payload for Stratospheric Ballooning}
  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN.
  10.18260/1-2--41808

Noe Bazan Palacios.  "Efficiency-Testing a Solar-Powered Payload for Stratospheric Ballooning".  2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August.  ASEE Conferences, 2022.  https://peer.asee.org/41808 Internet.  14 May, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_41808}
  Noe Bazan Palacios.
  "Efficiency-Testing a Solar-Powered Payload for Stratospheric Ballooning".
  \emph{2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2022.
  https://peer.asee.org/41808 Internet.  14 May, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_41808
author = "Noe Bazan Palacios"
title = "Efficiency-Testing a Solar-Powered Payload for Stratospheric Ballooning"
booktitle = "2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2022"
month = "August"
address = "Minneapolis, MN"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/41808}
number = {10.18260/1-2--41808}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Due to their improvement in cost-efficiency, distribution, and ability to provide a continuous supply of energy under sunlight, this paper explores the efficiency of a solar panel array during a solar-powered payload flight as it reaches stratospheric altitudes and is subjected to different environments, as well as the possibility of utilizing large-scale solar-powered payloads for future weather balloon flights, replacing conventional batteries as energy sources. The CubeSat-like designed payload was equipped with two micro-controlled systems: an Arduino Mega analysis unit and a Teensy 3.5 testing unit. The former was equipped with an XBee radio, temperature, pressure, and GPS sensors to measure and analyze the environments the payload experienced, while also including two INA219 sensors to measure the voltage/current generated by the 6V solar panel array designed, and provided to the Teensy 3.5 testing unit throughout the flight. The Teensy testing unit included supplemental temperature and pressure sensors to record atmospheric data and transmit it via XBee radio to the analysis unit, and was additionally equipped with a backup Li-ion battery to be utilized during periods when the solar panels were under the shade of the stratospheric balloon. Results from the flight determined that the solar panel array experienced a 19 percent increase in power production compared to ground testing when it reached the coldest point in the tropopause. Furthermore, even during extended periods of shade in the stratosphere, the array was capable of providing adequate energy to the Teensy testing unit without tapping the backup battery, and continued throughout the entire flight. It is theorized that this unexpectedly large supply of solar energy at higher altitudes derives from greater levels of spectral irradiance, allowing significant solar energy to reach the solar panel array, and which reduce by 27 percent at sea level compared to outside of the atmosphere. Therefore, further testing with luminosity and spectral irradiance sensors in future flights is recommended. Additionally, due to this significant energy surplus, it should be possible for solar-powered electronics to perform a greater number of tasks on future flights.
AU  - Noe Bazan Palacios
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Efficiency-Testing a Solar-Powered Payload for Stratospheric Ballooning
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41808
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41808
ER  -