Energy Conversion and Management 45 (2004) 1931–1939

www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman

Two axes sun tracking system with PLC control

a,* b
Salah Abdallah , Salem Nijmeh
a
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Applied Science University, Amman 11931, Jordan
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hashemite University, P.O. Box 150459, Alzarqa 13115, Jordan
Received 25 September 2002; received in revised form 8 June 2003; accepted 14 October 2003

Abstract
In this paper, an electromechanical, two axes sun tracking system is designed and constructed. The
programming method of control with an open loop system is employed where the programmable logic
controller is used to control the motion of the sun tracking surface.
An experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of using two axes tracking on the solar
energy collected. The collected energy was measured and compared with that on a fixed surface tilted at 32°
towards the south. The results indicate that the measured collected solar energy on the moving surface was
significantly larger than that on a fixed surface. The two axes tracking surface showed a better performance
with an increase in the collected energy of up to 41.34% compared with the fixed surface.
Ó 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Two axes tracking; Open loop control; Electromechanical system; Solar radiation measurements; Jordan

1. Introduction

The amount of power produced by a solar system, depends upon the amount of sun light to
which it is exposed. As the sunÕs position changes throughout the day, the solar system must be
adjusted so that it is always aimed precisely at the sun and, as a result, produces the maximum
possible power. Single axis tracking systems are considerably cheaper and easier to construct, but
their efficiency is lower than that of two axes sun tracking systems. On the other hand, some solar
systems require only two axis tracking, such as point focus concentrators.
Two axes sun tracking systems can be applied in all types of solar systems to increase their
efficiency. A large number of investigations have been performed to design and employ two axes

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +962-6-5237181; fax: +962-6-5232899.
E-mail addresses: salah@infinityhitech.com, salahabdalah@asu.edu.jo (S. Abdallah).

0196-8904/$ - see front matter Ó 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2003.10.007
1932 S. Abdallah, S. Nijmeh / Energy Conversion and Management 45 (2004) 1931–1939

sun tracking systems, however, only a few were cited in the literature that investigated the effect of
using two axes sun tracking systems controlled by a modern computerized control system, such as
a programmable logic controller (PLC) control system. Barakat et al. [1] designed a two axes sun
tracking system with closed loop system and with complicated typical electronic control circuits.
They found that the energy available to the two axes tracker is higher by 20%.
Neville [2] presented a theoretical comparative study between the energy available to a two axes
tracker, an east–west tracker and a fixed surface. It was found that the energy available to the
ideal tracker is higher by 5–10% and 50% than the east–west tracker and the fixed surface,
respectively. Khalifa [3] performed an experimental study to investigate the effect of using a two
axes sun tracking system on the thermal performance of compound parabolic concentrators
(CPC). The tracking CPC collector showed a better performance with an increase in the collected
energy of up to 75% compared with an identical fixed collector. Hession and Bonwick [4]
introduced a sun tracking system for use with various collectors or platforms. The system used
both analog and digital techniques with sun sensing phototransistors that enabled the sunÕs
position to be resolved to a precision of better than 0.1°. Baltas et al. [5] made a comparative study
between continuous and stepwise tracking. They showed that unlike concentrating systems, flat
plate photovoltaic (FPPV) arrays yielded almost the same energy when tracking in a stepwise
fashion. Tracking motors could be idle for one or two hours and yet obtain more than 98% of the
energy obtained from a continuous tracking array. Brunotte [6] presented a prototype two stage
photovoltaic concentrator with concentration ratios up to 300X with one axis tracking. Such
concentrators are very promising in reducing the cost of solar electricity conversion.
In this work, a two axes, sun tracking, PLC controlled system was designed and constructed.
The system was characterized by a fairly simple electromechanical set up. This reduces cost,
maintenance and the possibility of failure. Also, this system can be easily installed and assembled.
Pyranometers were mounted on platforms controlled by our system to investigate the availability
of solar radiation on tracking surfaces. In Amman, Jordan the amount of collected energy ob-
tained is considered very valuable, since such data is non-existent in Jordan. The amount of solar
energy collected is an important parameter in the design of solar systems.
As mentioned earlier, the open loop method of control with programmable memory in which
instructions were stored to implement various functions was used to control actuation of the
processes. The programming was based on the solar angles analysis that was done earlier. This
program controls the actuator, which moves the tracking surface into the calculated positions.

2. Programming method of control with open loop system

Closed loop systems with photosensors are traditionally used as the main method of control of
sun tracking systems. The photosensors are used to discriminate the sunÕs position and to send
electrical signals proportional to the error to the controller, which actuates the motors to track the
sun. Many authors have adopted this method as a basis in construction and design of such
systems [5–8]. In this paper, the programming method of control is used, which works efficiently in
all weather conditions regardless of the presence of clouds. To implement this method, we need to
calculate the surface position function of time and insert these values into the PLC system as a
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program. The PLC system will control the work of the actuator so that it will track the sunÕs
position.
Mathematically, the surface position is defined by two angles, b and c, as shown in Duffie [9]. b
is the slope of the surface, and c is the surface azimuth angle. For two axes tracking, the surface
positions are determined as follows: b ¼ hz and c ¼ cs , where hz is the zenith angle of the sun and
cs is the sun azimuth angle.
Two tracking motors are used, one for the joint rotating about the horizontal north–south axis
to control b and the other for the joint rotating about the vertical axis to control c.

3. The electromechanical system description

The electromechanical system consists of two drivers, the first for the joint rotating about the
vertical axis shown in Fig. 1 and the second for the east–west tracking shown in Fig. 2. All the
hardware components of Figs. 1 and 2 are located in the same control box, except the motors and
their gears, which would be in the piller on which the tracking surface is located. It can be seen
from Fig. 1 that the system has two bridge rectifiers. The first one, PS1, converts the 220 VAC of

Fig. 1. The electromechanical circuit for vertical control.

1934 S. Abdallah, S. Nijmeh / Energy Conversion and Management 45 (2004) 1931–1939

Fig. 2. The electromechanical circuit for slope control.

the supply network into 24 VDC to power the PLCI. The second rectifier, PS2, converts 220 VAC
into 24 VAC to supply the electrical motor M1.
The PLCI system was chosen as the LOGO 24 RC type because it is well suited for this
application. Also, it is fairly simple and cheap in cost. The PLCI has six inputs, of which only four
were actually used. These are as follows:

I1 Push button to start automatic mode of tracking.

I2 Push button to stop tracking.
I3 Switch for manual operation of tracking in the forward direction. It is used to adjust the
system.
I4 Switch for manual operation of tracking in the backward direction. It is used to adjust the
system.

Also the PLCI has four outputs, of which only two were used. These are as follows:

Q1 It represents the forward direction of motion through the relay R1.

Q2 It represents the backward direction of motion through the relay R2.

The components of Fig. 2 are the same as in Fig. 1, except that the voltage of M2 is 36 VDC
with a worm gear instead of 24 VAC with a spur gear as in Fig. 1.
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4. Programming of the control system

As mentioned earlier, a computer software has been developed to determine the different solar
angles for Amman that are required in our work. This allowed us to calculate the optimal
positions of the tracking surface during the daylight hours. The daylight hours were divided into
four identical time intervals T 1, T 2, T 3 and T 4, as shown in Fig. 3, during which the motor speeds
(deg/s) were determined. Then, the PLC programming was done based on the solar angles analysis
and motor speed calculations. The PLC controls the intermittent position adjustments made by
the motors. This means that the motor for east–west tracking will be idle for 5–10 min according
to the different intervals of time mentioned above and works only for a few seconds. The motor
for vertical tracking will be idle for 15–35 min and works for a few seconds. The LOGO 24 RC
PLC system uses the functional diagram language of programming described in Refs. [10,11].
The PLC program of the system driven east–west tracking motor is represented in Fig. 4. The
program consists of two parts related to the two types of motion, forward and backward. From
the theoretical calculated angles values, it is noted that b decreases from its maximum at sunrise
until it reaches its minimum at noon. This represents the forward motion, which covers the
intervals of time T 1 and T 2 in Fig. 3. The backward motion occurs from noon till sunset where b
is a maximum. This period of time will cover the intervals T 3 and T 4.
The blocks B02, B05, B15 and B18 are clocks that represent the four above mentioned intervals
of time. The clocks actuate the recyclers B08, B10, B22 and B24, which represent on–off timers.
The clocks must be adjusted to the calculated position function of time. For example, we adjust
the clock B02 to be active from 6.30 to 9.30 AM, which, in turn, means that the recycler B08 will
be active during this period of time. The B08 recycler is adjusted to be on for 2 s and off for 7 min.
This means that the motor of the east–west tracking will be idle for 7 min and work for 2 s.
The PLC program of the vertical tracking system is shown in Fig. 5. The program consists of
two parts related to the two types of motion, forward and backward. From the theoretical cal-
culated results of c, it is deduced that the forward motion will cover all the intervals of time, T 1,
T 2, T 3 and T 4. The blocks B02, B07, B12 and B18 are clocks that represent the four above
mentioned intervals of time. The clocks actuate the recyclers B05, B10, B15 and B21, which
represent on–off timers. The clocks must be adjusted to the calculated position function of time.

Fig. 3. The division of daylight time into four intervals.

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Fig. 4. The functional PLC program for plane rotated about south–north axis.
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Fig. 5. The functional PLC program for the plane rotated about vertical axis.

For example, we adjust the clock B02 to be active from 6.30 to 9.30 AM, which, in turn, means
that the recycler B05 will be active during this period of time. The B05 recycler is adjusted to be on
for 5 s and off for 23 min. This means that the motor of vertical tracking will be idle for 23 min
and then work for 5 s.
1938 S. Abdallah, S. Nijmeh / Energy Conversion and Management 45 (2004) 1931–1939

The block B32 will operate the vertical tracking motor in the backward direction after sunset.
This stepwise tracking mode of operation simplifies the work of the system without great loss
in power. The consumed power by the electrical motor and control system will not be more than
3% of the power saved by the tracking system.

5. Experimentation and results

Two pyranometers were mounted on the two axes tracking and non-tracking surfaces. The
pyranometers were connected to the data logger, which was, in turn, connected to a computer.
Pyranometer readings were recorded every 5 min. The stored collected data was processed using
Microsoft Excel, and the measured solar radiation values are averaged and multiplied by 3600 to
obtain the hourly total solar radiation in MJ/m2 . A continuous test during 4 days, 7, 10, 11 and 12
May 2001, was done in the Renewable Energy Laboratory at the Applied Science University in
Amman, Jordan. Fig. 6 shows the total solar radiation in MJ/m2 measured on 7 May 2001.
The hourly values of solar radiation are added to obtain the total daily solar radiation. These
daily values are averaged to obtain the average daily total solar radiation for the period con-
sidered, as shown in Table 1. It should be noted that the lower solar radiation of 10 May 2001 is
due to partly cloudy weather conditions.
Abdalah [12] designed a one axis sun tracking system with PLC control where the collected
energy was measured and compared with that on a fixed surface tilted at 32° towards the south.
The three tracking modes studied were as follows, rotation about the east–west, north–south and
vertical axes. The results indicate that there were increases in daily measured solar energy up to
19.7%, 23.3% and 24.5% for the north–south, vertical and east–west tracking as compared with
the fixed surface inclined 32° to the south, but the results in Table 1 indicate that the daily
measured solar energy on the two axes tracking system is almost double those found with different
types of one axis tracking systems.

Fig. 6. Experimental total solar radiation vs. time (07/05/2001).

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Table 1
Experimental average daily total solar radiation in MJ/m2
Date of day Two axes tracking Fixed @ 32 latitude % Gain
07/05/2001 41.266 27.746 48.73
10/05/2001 27.49 20.73 32.61
11/05/2001 34.534 23.661 45.95
12/05/2001 36.057 26.11 38.09
Average 34.83675 24.56175 41.34

6. Conclusion

In this work, the programming method of control was used to control the two axes sun tracking
system. The hardware and software elements of the two axes sun tracking system were designed
and constructed. It can be concluded that the use of two axes tracking surfaces results in an in-
crease in total daily collection of about 41.34% as compared with that of the 32° tilted fixed
surface.
This gain is considerable as predicted. Further studies are already in progress to evaluate the
performance of employing two axes tracking in certain solar energy applications in Jordan, such
as photovoltaic systems.

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