Design and Fabrication of Automatic Solar Tracking System

Project Title

Design and Fabrication of Automatic Solar Tracking System

Project Area of Specialization Mechatronics EngineeringProject Summary

The presented project involves the design and fabrication of automatic solar tracking system. The proposed system can be deployed in the areas where there is no electricity. Generally, the efficiency of solar tracking system is limited due to its static nature. In this project, we can increase the efficiency of solar tracking system by moving it in two axes using DC gear motors and this phenomenon is known as “Dual Axis Solar Tracking System”. The design of our project is carried out in CAD Software (PTC CREO 5.0) and the fabrication is done by using aluminum material. The system is based on the principle of “AZIMUTH-ALTITUDE”. By using this principle, we can move the solar panel in both horizontal and vertical directions, which will increase its efficiency as compared to the fixed photovoltaic (PV) panel or single axis tracking system. The dual axes solar system consists of two major parts including mechanical part and electrical part. The mechanical part is controlled by using four spur gears in which two spur gears are used to control the panel in the vertical direction while the other two spur gears are used to control the panel in the horizontal direction. The electrical part consists of Light dependent resistors (LDRs) which acts as a sensing element and DC gear motors. The LDRs are controlled by using STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller and the DC gear motors are used to rotate the solar panel. The main purpose of using LDRs is to sense the correct value of sun position. The proposed solar tracking system is interfaced with the LabVIEW software and the results are compared in terms of efficiency and accuracy with regard to a fixed PV panel and single axis solar tracking system to analyze the system performance.

Project Objectives

The main objectives of the project are as follows:

• Design of Dual axis solar tracking system using CAD software (PTC CREO 5.0)
• Fabrication of the Dual axis solar tracking system using Aluminum material.
• To validate the principle of AZIMUTH-ALTITUDE in the dual axis solar tracking system.
• Interfacing with the LABVIEW software to analyze the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed system as compared to other solar tracking systems such as fixed PV panel and a single axis solar tracking system.

Project Implementation Method

The implementation methodology of this project includes the calculation of dual axis automatic solar tracking system to move the tracker in both axes. The project involves the control of the dual axis solar tracker using STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller, two DC gear motors, four spur gears and LDRs. The proposed dual axis solar tracking will track the movement of sun with the help of LDR sensors and the DC gear motors are connected with spur gears to move the tracker in both vertical and horizontal axis. Moreover, the spur gears are used to increase the torque and motors are connected with STM32F103C8T6 to drive the motors.

Benefits of the Project

Following are the major applications and benefits of our project:

• The proposed dual axis solar tracking system can be deployed in the areas where there is no electricity.
• It can be used for small and medium scale power generation with higher efficiency.
• It can also be used for power generation at remote places where power lines are not accessible.
• The proposed system can act as backup for commercial power systems.
• It can be used in streetlight applications without using the normal power supplies.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

• STM32F103C8T6 Microcontroller

Following are the technical specifications of STM32F103C8T6 Microcontrollers.

• The devices operate from 2.0 to 3.6 power supply.
• 32-bit RISC core operating at a 72 MHz frequency.
• High Speed embedded memories. Flash memory up to 128Kbytes and SRAM up to 20Kbytes.
• Two 12-bit ADCs, three general purpose 16-bit timers plus one PWM timer.
• Advanced communication interfaces: up to two I2Cs and SPIs, three USARTs, a USB and a CAN.

• 150-Watt Solar Panel

Following are the technical specifications of 150-watt solar panel.

• Maximum Power = 150W
• Open Circuit Voltage = 22.5V
• Short Circuit Current = 8.56A
• Maximum Power Current = 8.11A
• Solar Cell Efficiency = 17.2%
• Weight = 7.3 kg
• Operating Temperature = -40°C - 85°C
• Dimensions = 915mm x 670mm x 30mm

• Battery

Following are the technical specifications of 115-AH Battery.

• Ampere = 115 Ah
• Plates =17 Plates
• Polarity = Right Pole
• Dimension =L x W x H, 406x173x235
• Weight = 19.60 Kg

• DC Gear Motor (30 RPM, 12V)

Following are the technical specifications of dc gear motor.

• Dimensions: 3.7 x 11 x 3.7 cm
• 100gm weight
• Voltage=6-18V
• Torque Range : 10 - 15 Kg-cm
• Metal Gears

• Spur Gears

Following are the technical specifications of spur gears.

• Straight teeth
• Low Cost
• High Efficiency (98-99%)

• Motor Driver L298 N

Following are the technical specifications of motor driver L298N.

• Motor Supply Voltage (Maximum): 46V
• Motor Supply Current (Maximum): 2A
• Logic Voltage: 5V
• Driver Voltage: 5-35V
• Driver Current:2A
• Logical Current:0-36mA
• Maximum Power (W): 25W
• Current Sense for each motor
• Heatsink for better performance.
• Power-On LED indicator

• LDR Sensor Module (LM393)

Following are the technical specifications of LDR sensor module.

• Dimensions: 33 x 115 x 8 (L x W x H) mm
• Weight: 4 gm
• Voltage Range: 2v to 36V

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry Energy Other Industries Others Core Technology OthersOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Affordable and Clean Energy, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Life on LandRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	47100
STM32F103C8T6 & Debugger	Equipment	1	800	800
150-Watt Solar Panel	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Battery 115 AH	Equipment	1	9000	9000
DC Gear Motor	Equipment	2	1950	3900
Spur Gears	Equipment	4	1000	4000
Motor Driver L298N	Equipment	2	300	600
LM393 LDR Module	Equipment	4	200	800
Fabrication	Equipment	1	12000	12000
Miscellaneous Items	Miscellaneous	1	6000	6000