Solar Tracking system

Solar energy is an important part of life and has been since the beginning of time. Increasingly, man is learning how to harness this important resource and use it to replace traditional energy sources. The project STS (solar tracking system) which can be used as a power generating method fro

Project Title

Solar Tracking system

Project Area of Specialization

Computer Science

Project Summary

Solar energy is an important part of life and has been since the beginning of time. Increasingly, man is learning how to harness this important resource and use it to replace traditional energy sources.

The project STS (solar tracking system) which can be used as a power generating method from sunlight. This method of power generation is simple and is taken from natural resource. This needs only maximum sunlight to generate power. This project helps for power generation by setting the equipment to get maximum sunlight automatically. This system is tracking for maximum intensity of light. When there is decrease in intensity of light, this system automatically changes its direction to get maximum intensity of light.

In the project we are using dual axis solar tracking system which has two degree of freedom one degree rotate the solar panel daily bases follow the sun path through the sky and the second degree of freedom will rotate the system by seasonally because the complete year the sun path is not fix.

In this project we do not use the light sensor instead of sensor we will track the sun path and for the rotation we use the servo motor, these servo motor will be control by the microcontroller (Arduino board) the board will be coded in C programming language and powered by then solar panel or the betray, to control the betray current flow we use DC-to-DC converter to control the flow, and a Real time clock module to keep the date and time, which help to track the sun path.

The solar tracking system will increase the power 30-40% more power as compare to the tradition or fix solar panel.

Project Objectives

With all the above information, the rapid depletion of the natural resources of the world, we would soon meet a great demand for alternative source of energy. In the very near future, experts are predicting that we will be bound to move to renewable sources of energy, solar being one of them.

If our earth exists, the sun is there to give us unlimited solar energy. It is completely up to us how we are going to utilize this abandoned energy. Every hour, sun gives the same amount of energy to the world that the whole world uses in an entire year.

Not only the world but our country is in a severe crisis of electricity. There are many rural areas which are still deprived from the wonder of electricity. Due to the geographical location of our country, we get sun almost 300 days a year. Compared to many other countries like Canada and Norway, we are in a much better location for utilizing solar energy. It can be used in areas where there is no grid connection also.

Considering all the above things and the environmental friendliness, economically sound and the ease of implementation, we thought of working on it as we believe that soon, our country along with the whole world will be benefited from this source of renewable energy.

The main object for the solar tracking system to get maximum solar energy as compare to the fixed position, dual solar tracking system has two degree of rotation freedom which can get up to 30% more energy, this project is cost effected because of the sun path tracking and not using the wind sensor and light sensor. In our area the shortage of electricity and people using the solar energy, but they are tilt in a fixed position which less gain less energy, solar tracking system can fill this gape.  This project will also make solar technology more effective and affordable in remote areas without grid access.

Project Implementation Method

Methodology

Single axis tracker Single axis trackers have one degree of freedom that acts as an axis of rotation. The axis of rotation of single axis trackers is typically aligned along a true north meridian. It is possible to align them in any cardinal direction with advanced tracking algorithms. A single axis tracker tracks the sun east to west. There are several common implementations of single axis trackers. These include HSAT (horizontal single axis trackers), VSAT (vertical single axis trackers), TSAT (tilted single axis trackers) and PSAT (polar aligned single axis trackers). The orientation of the module with respect to the tracker axis is important when modeling performance

Design Phase

Our system relies on automatic tracking mechanism instead of predefined motion. In this project we are not using sensor, we will track the sun path and set the time in the control system. The backbone of our control system is a microcontroller which determines which motor should move in which direction to adjust the system.

There are 3 major parts in our control system:

1. Sun path

2. Microcontroller

3. Movement adjustment circuit

Sun path

In solar system sun is a fix place and not moving and the earth moving around the sun but in the earth we observe that the sun arise from the east and set on the west.  But by the day and by the season the movement of the sun path changes. All these position will be implemented to the controller.  

Microcontroller

This is the main backbone of our full control system. This determines the sun path and gives command to the motors to adjust the solar panel through the sun direction.

Movement adjustment circuit

His part of circuits deals with the mechanical part of the whole system. Depending on the outputs from the microcontroller, the driver circuit executes the proper sequence to turn the stepper motors in the required direction. The motors control the movement.

???????Implementation phase

The solar tracking system will be implemented by hardware the project has a physical shape but this project also include some codding on microcontroller where the microcontroller will trace the sun path and  command the  actuator to work accordingly.

 

???????Testing Phase

In this project does not test by the sun light or the artificial light because of not having LDR to detect the light for this to test whether the solar panel rotating according to the given time and the give position, before to test the overall system we will test the components like the microcontroller whether the controller tracing the sun path and process according to sun path and command the actuator to adjust the solar panel to the sun light.

Benefits of the Project

By the solar tracker we can get up to 25% to 35% more energy as compare to the static solar panel. There is no need of person to rotate the panel according to the sun. but this project need person to maintain the hardware device, because without the maintenance of devices can be out of order because of the dust and wind I might case to broke the device like rotating wheel, due to cloudy weather the light sensor might not work properly.

A solar tracking system is the device for orienting solar PV modules toward the sun. At all times that the sun is visible in the sky. It shows better effectiveness compared to modules in fixed positions.

• Solar tracking system will give 35% more energy compare to fix
• No need of a person to manually rotate the angle of solar panel to the sun light
• Reduce the cost to not using sensor and the resistor, if there are required 8 fixed solar panel to fulfil the load, then 4 solar will cover the load because of the tracking system I will increase up to 40% more energy.
• Tracing the sun path even cloudy weather also the solar rotate according to the sun path
• Using sensor due to wind and dust sensor might not work but this (sun path tracking) technique work perfectly

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Arduino UNO R3

High torque servo motors

DC-DC converter

Bread board

Stand for the solar

 

Wires for the device connectivity

Real time clock module

Pillow Block Bearing 

Solar stand

Arduino IDE

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

IT

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Affordable and Clean Energy

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com