One common problem in the use of four-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, is the endurance of continuous operation without recharging. This is because the empty weight of a drone typically ranges from 25 kg to 100 kg, with 65% of that weight being the battery. With this massive battery weight, the maximum payload a drone can carry decreases drastically.
To overcome this problem, research on the Design of a solar panel canopy for a Quadcopter UAV was conducted, focusing on increasing flight duration and reducing battery consumption for the four-rotor drone. These solar panels will be placed as a canopy above the drone’s body and will charge the battery when exposed to sunlight. The main objective of this research is to address the shortcomings of previous solar panel canopy designs on drones, which are typically attached directly to the drone’s body. In this study, the solar panel structure is made of carbon fiber to ensure it remains lightweight yet sturdy. These solar panels are also detachable and positioned above the cross-shaped rotors, consisting of 20 panels in total. These solar panels can meet 9% of the drone’s power requirements at an average solar radiation of 400–600 W/m².
