Development of a compact and didactic solar energy kit using Arduino

When the sun rises, so does the key element that will shape the future of the world energy landscape. It is not an understatement to say that the solar energy industry is beginning to lead the path towards a sustainable future for all of us. However, the awareness of the potential of this amazing source of energy must begin from the most basic levels of education all the way to university. The scope of this paper is to display a new compact and didactic solar energy kit with the potential to replace current high cost and complex solar energy kits. These solutions are often too expensive and therefore unavailable for most of Europe's public schools. As such, an equipment was developed using an open-source platform called Arduino that will enable students to conduct practical experiments in a fast, effective and simple manner and thus allow students to acquire the proper expertise in areas like energy, electronics, and programming.