In collaboration with YSU Faculty of Engineering, KYG-South Korea and Korea Transportation Safety Authority (KOTSA) develop an environmentally friendly solar panel system using capacitor to store the energy. The project is named “Super Capacitor for Street Lighting.” The system converts solar energy into electricity. The solar energy is sustainable and abundant so that it is expected to fulfill the needs for energy, as fossil fuels or other conventional energy sources are polluting the environment and will be less available in the future.
Shim Eon Kyu from KYG-Korea explained that while other solar panel systems use batteries to store the energy, their solar cell system uses capacitors which offers a number of advantages.
“Using capacitors to store the energy is environmentally friendly because less chemicals are used in the capacitors,” Shim, Eon Kyu said.
“Besides, it doesn’t require a complex electricity installation and unlike batteries, it has less explosion potential,” he added.
Compared to batteries, the capacitor takes less time to recharge than batteries and is more durable that a capacitor lasts for more than ten years.
The KYG solar cells system has been installed on streets in South Korea, Mongolia and several other countries. This is the first project to install the solar system in Indonesia, which aims to test the system in to adapt to the heat and humidity in tropical climate. Several lecturers are involved in this project, including Dr. Didik Nurhadiyanto (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Zainal Arifin and Solikin. M.Kes. (Automotive Engineering), and Andik Asmara, M.Pd. (Electrical Engineering).
During this project, the super capacitor solar panel will be installed on the lighting in the faculty garden.