Journal
ELECTRONICS
Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/electronics9010179
Keywords
aerial platform; HAP; UAV; wireless communication; energy management; solar energy
Categories
Funding
- Orange [H09121]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
With the increasing interest in wireless communications from solar-powered aircraft-based high altitude platforms (HAPs), it is imperative to assess the feasibility of their deployment in different locations with the constraints on energy consumption and payload weight under consideration. This paper considers the energy management of solar-powered aircraft-based HAPs for wireless communications service provisioning in equatorial regions and regions further up the northern hemisphere. The total solar energy harvested and consumed on the shortest day of the year is analyzed, and it is explained how this determines the feasibility of long endurance, semi-permanent missions. This takes into account the different aircraft-based HAPs and the energy storage systems currently available, and how these can be deployed for wireless communications. We show that the solar-powered HAPs are energy and weight limited, and this depends largely on the platform's wingspan available for the deployment of solar collectors. Our analysis show that services can be provided for a duration of 15-24 h/day using current platforms, with wingspans ranging between 25-35 m, depending on the configuration and coverage radius. Furthermore, we show that doubling an aircraft's wingspan can increase its payload capacity by a factor of 6, which in turn enhances its feasibility for wireless communications.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available