-Mini Project-

Dual Axis Solar Tracker

 Under the Guidance of-

 S.S.P.M. Sharma sir

 200305113703-Pratik Bhosle
 200305113710-Rameshwar Dudhe
 200305113712-Vaishnavi Gaikwad
 200305113716-Onkar Sharma
 Introduction –

 Solar energy is rapidly advancing as an important

means of renewable source of energy.
 In verge of a major energy crisis , as energy
consumption is increasing day by day and energy
sources are depleting.
 Solar energy is universally accepted renewable
energy for source , which can be used to avoid the
energy crisis.
 An eco-friendly method of utilizing solar energy for
maximum energy consumption is using the solar
tracking system .
 Objective of project-

 The goal of this thesis was to develop a laboratory prototype

of a solar tracking system, which is able to enhance the
performance of the photovoltaic modules in a solar energy
system.
 The operating principle of the device is to keep the
photovoltaic modules constantly aligned with the sunbeams,
which maximizes the exposure of solar panel to the Sun’s
radiation. As a result, more output power can be produced
by the solar panel.
What is Solar Tracker-

 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) 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.
 In photovoltaic systems, trackers help minimize the angle of incidence between the incoming
light and the panel, which increases the amount of energy the installation produces.
Concentrated solar photovoltaics and concentrated solar thermal have optics that directly
accept sunlight, so solar trackers must be angled correctly to collect energy. All concentrated
solar systems have trackers because the systems do not produce energy unless directed
correctly toward the sun.
 Types of Solar trackers-
• Single axis system
• Dual axis system
Dual Axis Solar Tracker-

 In a single axis system the panel is moved in an east to west direction with
respect to the sun and it has better efficiency than panels in fixed form. But
single axis system can not rotate in all four directions in accordance with the
sun.
 To overcome the disadvantages in the single-axis tracking system, a dual-axis
tracking system was introduced.
 In dual-axis tracking system the sun rays are captured to the maximum by
tracking the movement of the sun in four different directions.
 The dual-axis solar tracker follows the angular height position of the sun in the
sky in addition to following the sun’s east-west movement.
 The dual-axis works in the same way as the single-axis but measures the
horizontal as well as the vertical axis with the two set of sensors. A dual-axis
tracker can increase energy by tracking sun rays from switching solar panel in
various directions. This solar panel can rotate in all directions.
 Components used- Software used-

 Arduino IDE

 Arduino UNO
 Solar panels
 Servo motors
 Light dependent resistors
 Battery (9v)
 Resistors
Arduino UNO-

 The Arduino Uno is an open-source microcontroller board based on the

Microchip ATmega328P microcontroller and developed by Arduino.cc.
 It has 14 digital input/output pins
 Arduino IDE software
 The Arduino Integrated Development Environment is a cross-platform
application that is written in functions from C and C++. It is used to write and
upload programs to Arduino compatible boards
 Solar panels-

 A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module or solar

panel is an assembly of photo-voltaic cells mounted in a framework for
installation
  Solar panels use sunlight as a source of energy to generate direct
current electricity. 
 Photovoltaic modules use light energy (photons) from the Sun to
generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect. Most modules
use wafer-based crystalline silicon cells or thin-film cells.
  The cells are usually connected electrically in series, one to another to
the desired voltage, and then in parallel to increase current.
Servo motors-

 A servomotor is a rotary actuator or linear actuator that allows for precise

control of angular or linear position, velocity and acceleration.
 The servo motor is usually a simple DC motor controlled for specific angular
rotation with the help of additional servomechanism (a typical closed-loop
feedback control system).
 The main reason behind using a servo is that it provides angular precision, i.e. it
will only rotate as much we want and then stop and wait for the next signal to
take further action.
 MG90S is a micro servo motor with metal gear. This small and lightweight servo
comes with high output power and torque up to 2.2 kg/cm.
 LDR (Light Dependent Resistor)-

 LDR (Light Dependent Resistor) as the name states it is a

special type of resistor that works on the photoconductivity
principle means that resistance changes according to the
intensity of light.
 It works on the principle of photoconductivity whenever the
light on its photoconductive material falls it absorbs its energy
and increases the conductivity as per the increase in light
intensity.
 Its resistance decreases with an increase in the intensity of
light. It is often used as light sensor in areas where we need
to have light sensitivity.
Block Diagram-
Working -
Construction-
Advantages -

 This automatic solar tracker is easy to implement since its construction is simple.

 High degree of flexibility since it moves in two directions and higher degree of accuracy in
directional point so utilizing more of solar energy.

 Solar trackers generate more electricity in roughly the same amount of space needed for
fixed-tilt systems, making them ideal for optimizing land usage.

 With the implementation the proposed system the additional energy generated is around
25% to 30% with very less consumption by the system itself.
Disadvantages -

 Solar trackers are generally designed for climates with little to no snow making them a
more viable solution in warmer climates. Fixed racking accommodates harsher
environmental conditions more easily than tracking systems.

 Mechanical complexity of Tracking system is more than fixed racking. This means that
typically more site preparation is needed, including additional trenching for wiring

 Initial cost is high as compared to fixed racking and even more expensive than single axis
tracker system.
Applications

 Street light applications using solar power.

 Can be used for small and medium scale power generations.
 For generation at remote places where power lines are not accessible.
 For domestic backup power system.
 And all the solar applications can use this extra power generated by utilizing more of a solar
energy such as-
• water heating
• Solar pumping
• Solar drying of agricultural and animal products
• Solar furnaces
• Solar cooking
• Solar green houses