Automatic solar tracking system

solar tracker, a system that positions an object at an angle relative to the Sun. The most-common applications for solar trackers are positioning photovoltaic (PV) panels (solar panels

Project Title

Automatic solar tracking system

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

solar tracker, a system that positions an object at an angle relative to the Sun. The most-common applications for solar trackers are positioning photovoltaic (PV) panels (solar panels) so that they remain perpendicular to the Sun’s rays and positioning space telescopes so that they can determine the Sun’s direction. PV solar trackers adjust the direction that a solar panel is facing according to the position of the Sun in the sky. By keeping the panel perpendicular to the Sun, more sunlight strikes the solar panel, less light is reflected, and more energy is absorbed. That energy can be converted into power.

Solar tracking uses complex instruments to determine the location of the Sun relative to the object being aligned. These instruments typically include computers, which can process complicated algorithms that enable the system to track the Sun, and sensors, which provide information to a computer about the Sun’s location or, when attached to a solar panel with a simple circuit board, can track the Sun without the need for a computer.

solar tracker; solar panel

A solar tracker adjusting the direction of a solar panel, keeping the panel perpendicular to the Sun in order to maximize the amount of sunlight that strikes the panel.

Studies have shown that the angle of light affects a solar panel’s power output. A solar panel that is exactly perpendicular to the Sun produces more power than a solar panel that is not perpendicular. Small angles from perpendicular have a smaller effect on power output than larger angles. In addition, Sun angle changes north to south seasonally and east to west daily. As a result, although tracking east to west is important, north to south tracking has a less-significant impact.

Solar trackers provide significant advantages for renewable energy. With solar tracking, power output can be increased by about 30 to 40 percent. The increase in power output promises to open new markets for solar power. However, solar trackers have several important disadvantages. A static solar panel may have a warranty that spans decades and may require little to no maintenance. Solar trackers, on the other hand, have much shorter warranties and require one or more actuators to move the panel. These moving parts increase installation costs and reduce reliability; active tracking systems may also use a small amount of energy (passive systems do not require additional energy). Computer-based algorithm solar trackers are more expensive, require additional maintenance, and become obsolete much faster than static solar panels, since they use fast-evolving electronic components with parts that may be difficult to replace in relatively short periods of time.

Project Objectives

The main objective of the project is to harnsess the maximum amount of sunlight from sun and coverting it to elctricity so that it can be easily used and transferred. This can be done by aligning the solar panel perpendicular to sun rays so that maximum sunlight can be converted into electrical form.Track the sun across the sky within a 5º margin of error. Ability to manually rotate the tracker with the use of a controller along the full ecliptic. The apparatus should also be able to display the power output of each cell.

Project Implementation Method

In today’s times, electricity has become very essential for mankind. Increasing demand for electricity leads to the depletion of the coal and fossil fuel available to humans. As fossil fuels are bound to get exhausted and also not being a clean source of energy is another added disadvantage. In this era of enormous energy demand, wide research and development of renewable sources of energy is mandatory. The use of solar energy can be advantageous to great extent. To make most of the power from photovoltaic cells, development should focus on getting greater efficiencies using Solar panel arrays. Dust on the surface of the panel and varying intensity of the sunlight contributes to a significant amount for reduction in efficiency. In this paper, an integrated solution for both the dust accumulation problem and the sun’s continuous movement has been proposed, which leads to an increase in the efficiency of the panel. The consequences of dust and intensity of sunshine on the efficiencies of the Photo-voltaic panels are highlighted. The paper gives a brief description of the planning and construction of microcontroller-based cleaning and tracking system. The solution proposed is visualized in Tinkercad, which is an online simulator to design CAD models and electronic circuits. The designed model is practically implemented as a hardware prototype for validation.

Benefits of the Project

Solar trackers have become important components of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Their ability to track the changing position of the sun in the sky can dramatically boost the energy gains of PV systems, by as much as 25 to 35 percent in some cases according to EnergySage.

• Trackers generate more electricity than their stationary counterparts due to increased direct exposure to solar rays. This increase can be as much as 10 to 25% depending on the geographic location of the tracking system.
• There are many different kinds of solar trackers, such as single-axis and dual-axis trackers, all of which can be the perfect fit for a unique jobsite. Installation size, local weather, degree of latitude and electrical requirements are all important considerations that can influence the type of solar tracker best suited for a specific solar installation.
• Solar trackers generate more electricity in roughly the same amount of space needed for fixed-tilt systems, making them ideal for optimizing land usage.
• In certain states, some utilities offer Time of Use (TOU) rate plans for solar power, which means the utility will purchase the power generated during the peak time of the day at a higher rate. In this case, it is beneficial to generate a greater amount of electricity during these peak times of the day. Using a tracking system helps maximize the energy gains during these peak time periods.
• Advancements in technology and reliability in electronics and mechanics have drastically reduced long-term maintenance concerns for tracking systems.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Photovoltaic (PV) cell is the technical term for solar cell, which is used to convert sunlight directly into electricity. Scientists coined the term photovoltaics to refer to this process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage). The process has come to be known as the PV effect. Scientists at Bell Telephone were the first to discover the PV effect in 1954 when they noticed that silicon, when exposed to sunlight, could produce an electric charge. This discovery has been pivotal in the development of various PV technologies with uses ranging from space satellites to watches.

Nowadays PV technology is being used to power homes and commercial buildings, and even in large power stations of several utility companies. For an average home, it would take about 10 to 20 solar panels to satisfy its complete power requirement. These panels are made from solar cells that are combined to form modules holding about 40 cells. To absorb maximum sunlight through the day, the panels are either assembled at a fixed angle facing south or they are fixed on a tracking device that follows the sun. When several solar panels are grouped together to form a system, it is termed as a solar array. For large industrial/commercial usage, several solar arrays are combined to form a large-scale PV system.PV cells are the basis of photovoltaic technology and are made up of semiconducting materials such as the often used single-crystal silicon. In case polycrystalline silicon is used, it is a thin film on the base of glass or plastic that is not expensive.

At times, thin films of amorphous non-crystalline silicon are also used (although they are not as efficient as crystalline silicon-based technologies), as amorphous silicon cells are not very expensive to manufacture due to the fact that the process is easier and the silicon required is very less. Materials such as indium, tellurium, gallium, cadmium, copper, and selenium are used in combinations in the manufacturing of PV devices.

Size of the PV cell, intensity of light source, and conversion efficiency of the cell will reflect upon the quantity of electricity produced. As PV technologies are used in applications of varying sizes, a PV system may contain the following components based on the load:

Solar trackers – for tracking the sun and ensuring optimal solar gain of the PV array Battery-charge controllers –for controlling overcharge and over- discharge of the batteries

Batteries - for storing electricity for later use when the sun is not shining

Converters - for converting the voltage of the PV system to a higher or lower voltage

Engine generators – mainly found in hybrid systems for providing backup power as well as charge for the batteries

Inverters - for converting direct current (dc) electricity to alternating current (ac) electricity.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

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