Fast Charging of Photovoltaic Containers for Drone Stations

Are UAVs a good choice for Island photovoltaic charging stations?

Dang et al. (2021) propose a multi-criteria decision-making framework for island photovoltaic charging station site selection. While literature is abundant on ground vehicles and ships, UAVs have had less share of this focus. Compared to ground vehicles, the average UAV range is 3 km, which is significantly lower.

Can building-integrated photovoltaics and UAV recharging stations reduce energy consumption?

Upgrading these building envelopes by deploying building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and allocating UAV recharging stations on their roofs would represent a dual green solution. The environmental benefits of reducing energy consumption in upgraded buildings are coupled with generating clean electricity required for the UAV charging functions.

How much power does a UAV use per charge stop?

Under this strategy, UAV charging power levels per charge stop vary greatly, 0.03–0.15 kW per vehicle, depending on the trajectory and SoC, but are still in line with that of current off-shelf UAV technology. Fig. 7.

Are UAVs fully charged when they leave the charging station?

UAVs are assumed fully charged when they leave the charging station (SoC=100%). The UAV's flight range is estimated according to the UAV 3D minimal energy trajectory model. As the energy consumption rate varies for loaded and unloaded UAVs, two different flight scenarios are implemented.