Efficiency of Solar Tracking System for Photovoltaic Cells
Abstract:Most recently, diversification in the energy sector is demanding due to the population growth of the world, advancement in technology and the need to have clean, safe and unpolluted means of electricity generation. Solar energy has stands this challenge of providing renewable energy at affordable cost and reliable means at long run. To improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells, the solar panel is kept at constant proportion to the direction of sunlight throughout the period of its intensity in order to attain efficient energy. A dual-axis solar tracker was designed to tilt the solar panel continuously in an azimuth and zenith directions using active tracker method to control the movement. Elevation and azimuth angles were carefully calculated to maintain the position of the solar panel, energy expense on operating the system and comparison of the energy gain to obtain maximum efficiency over a fixed oriented solar panel. Moreover, a sensor circuit was designed using four light dependent resistors to compare the sun’s intensity so as to keep the photovoltaic cells at the appropriate tracking position. The device is controlled using ARDUINO Uno interface. Consequently, a dual-axis solar tracker was found to have 35% efficient energy than the fixed solar tracker even when the sun intensity is low during winter season.
Download File [ 0.27 MB ]