Man, Carson · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2017
During the senior year in Mechanical Engineering Technology program, a solar tracker was designed and manufactured to be used during Mechanical Engineering Technology labs. The solar tracker will be able to rotate 15 degrees per hour by keeping it in line with changing position of the sun as the sky daily. The solar tracker was designed by calculating the need of the motor speed, allowable load, estimated solar input, and desired efficiency. Also it must be able to withstand the elements of nature, most effects are from the sun(heat), rain(water) and wind(air). Most of the concern will be the effect of wind load on the structure when wind load is acting on solar panel.
Cited by 0Open access
liu, haoyu · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2018
The purpose of this project is to find how to maximize the amount of time that the solar panels receive direct sunlight or the nearest possible sunlight angles. The solar tracker is a device that can change the position of solar panels in both vertical and horizontal direction to increase solar energy absorption. The device uses a gear motor to drive the shaft that is fixed to the solar panel, so the solar panel can rotate in vertical direction. Based on the vertical sun position in Ellensburg, 85o E in the morning, 180o S in the noon, and 276o W in the evening. The motor, which is controlled by Arduino control chip will change the position of solar panel with a fixed angle to increase to amount of time solar panel faces direct sunlight. At the end of the day, Arduino control chip will control the motor to drive the solar panel back to the original position that will face the incoming morning sunlight for next day. Moreover, the horizontal direction of the solar panel faces have to change by hand since it only change a small angle each month. The testing result showed the panel to be perpendicular (90o) to incoming sunlight, with 2o deviation. This device increased the energy absorption by 20%.
Cited by 0Open access
liu, haoyu · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2018
The purpose of this project is to find how to maximize the amount of time that the solar panels receive direct sunlight or the nearest possible sunlight angles. The solar tracker is a device that can change the position of solar panels in both vertical and horizontal direction to increase solar energy absorption. The device uses a gear motor to drive the shaft that is fixed to the solar panel, so the solar panel can rotate in vertical direction. Based on the vertical sun position in Ellensburg, 85o E in the morning, 180o S in the noon, and 276o W in the evening. The motor, which is controlled by Arduino control chip will change the position of solar panel with a fixed angle to increase to amount of time solar panel faces direct sunlight. At the end of the day, Arduino control chip will control the motor to drive the solar panel back to the original position that will face the incoming morning sunlight for next day. Moreover, the horizontal direction of the solar panel faces have to change by hand since it only change a small angle each month. The testing result showed the panel to be perpendicular (90o) to incoming sunlight, with 2o deviation. This device increased the energy absorption by 20%.
Cited by 0Open access
Jarczyk Konrad · Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo) · 2021
The global energy system is currently undergoing a significant change from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Depending on the country and its resources, one of the most efficient, reliable methods of producing energy is obtaining electricity from the sun. Going a step further, most typical solar farms are not using the full potential of solar panels. This study aims to determine why solar farms are widespread in some countries and some other countries do not use them at all. Specifically, it investigates whether and how much the geographical location affects the performance of the solar tracker. In this context, a solar tracker is defined as a device, which directs solar panels or modules toward the sun’s radiation. By changing its orientation throughout the day, the solar tracker follows the sun’s path on the horizon to maximize electricity production.\nTo test the hypothesis that how fast the costs of the self-designed solar tracker can be reimbursed, depending on its geographical location, first, the solar tracker was designed and tested against possible loads. For controlling the dual-axis solar tracker, a programmable logic controller with a self-programmed algorithm for tracking the sun was chosen. Next, the solar tracker’s production costs were estimated, and with data about sun hours in two individual places, the reimbursement times were calculated. The results showed a significant difference in produced energy between these two chosen locations within Europe, which resulted in much deviated times needed to reimburse the solar tracker costs.\nThese results suggest that the performance of the solar tracker strictly depends on its geographical location. On this basis, it can be concluded that the solar tracker doesn’t do good at all the destinations, and the potential future investor should consider all possible options before deciding on such a solution.
Cited by 0Open access
Bill Lane · 2008
Solar energy is rapidly gaining notoriety as an important means of expanding renewable energy resources. As such, it is vital that those in engineering fields understand the technologies associated with this area. My project will include the design and construction of a microcontroller-based solar panel tracking system. Solar tracking allows more energy to be produced because the solar array is able to remain aligned to the sun. This system builds upon topics learned in this course. A working system will ultimately be demonstrated to validate the design. Problems and possible improvements will also be presented. 1.
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haoyu liu · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2018
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Karlsson, Jimmy · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) · 2019
We are facing a climate crisis, and the world needs to generate electricity in more climate neutral ways. One alternative is to use solar energy. The highest efficiency can be achieved if the surface normal is pointed towards the sun, instead of just having it stationary. To solve this, people make a system called a solar tracker. In this project a prototype of a solar tracker is made, which can follow the sun in any direction. The solar tracker consists of a mechanical structure, two DC-motors that move the structure, and a microcontroller that implements the regulator to control the motors. All the mechanical parts were constructed and then printed using a 3D-printer. Manual control was implemented for making troubleshooting and testing easier. The electrical system is soldered on an experimental board and then mounted with the motor driver and mechanical construction on a bottom structure. There are a few interesting things that could be further developed. One is to implement sensors at the start point and end point of the sun tracking so that the tracker can return to the starting point after the sunset. It would be interesting to scale up the construction a bit and make some more useful measurements on larger panels to see if the system is energy effective enough to be useful; to make some outdoor tests and see how the sensors and control system work in a real-world environment; and to investigate and eventually develop its ability to adapt to cloudy weather.
Cited by 0Open access
Man, Carson · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2017
During the senior year in Mechanical Engineering Technology program, a solar tracker was designed and manufactured to be used during Mechanical Engineering Technology labs. The solar tracker will be able to rotate 15 degrees per hour by keeping it in line with changing position of the sun as the sky daily. The solar tracker was designed by calculating the need of the motor speed, allowable load, estimated solar input, and desired efficiency. Also it must be able to withstand the elements of nature, most effects are from the sun(heat), rain(water) and wind(air). Most of the concern will be the effect of wind load on the structure when wind load is acting on solar panel.
Cited by 0Open access
Man, Carson · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2017
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Liu, Haoyu · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2018
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Man, Carson · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University) · 2017
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Gang Xiao · Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens Kew)
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gamapvitor · 2012
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S. Siva · International Journal of MC Square Scientific Research · 2016
Energy crisis is the most important issue in today"s world. Conventional energy resources are not only limited but also the prime culprit for environmental pollution. Renewable energy resources are getting priorities in the whole world to lessen the dependency on conventional resources. Solar energy is rapidly gaining the focus as an important means of expanding renewable energy uses. Solar cells those convert sun"s energy into electrical energy are costly and inefficient. Different mechanisms are applied to increase the efficiency of the solar cell to reduce the cost. Solar tracking system is the most appropriate technology to enhance the efficiency of the solar cells by tracking the sun. A microcontroller based design methodology of an automatic solar tracker is presented in this paper. Light dependent resistors are used as the sensors of the solar tracker. The designed tracker has precise control mechanism which will provide three ways of controlling system. A small prototype of solar tracking system is also constructed to implement the design methodology presented here.
Cited by 10Open access
L. E. Junn, A. M. S. Fatin, S. G. Krishnan · AIP conference proceedings · 2024
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A. K. Tahmid Shahriar · OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2025
This project contains the ancillary materials for the paper: XXXNAMEXXX, Novel Approach To Solar Tracking Using 3D Printed Swiss Lever Escapement (unpublished). Preface: For under-developed and developing nations, solar energy is a vital resource for rural areas without grid connections. Thus it is imperative that any solar panel located in these regions are utilised to their maximum potential. However, the complexity, cost, and availability of electronic tracking systems create a barrier of entry for the aforementioned regions. As such, this system aims to provide a fully mechanical single-axis tracking alternative such that complete fabrication and maintenance can be performed without technical expertise and with locally available raw materials, bar the hairspring. The system, with fully 3d printed components, costs approximately 1,200 Thai Baht or roughly 34 US Dollars(December 2022). A small scale pilot study conducted in Pathum Thani, Thailand showed a potential increase of 28% solar panel efficiency on average.
Cited by 1
Shruti Gaikwad, Snehal Gunaware, Shivangi Jha et al. · International Journal for Research in Engineering Application & Management · 2020
The Smart Solar Tracker resembles the structure of Sunflower wherein, the petals act as a Solar cell and so different circuits are designed to control the movement of these cells. The circuit consisting of an LDR sensor is used to detect the maximum intensity of light and accordingly the movement of the petals will take place in that direction. During the night time, when no light is detected the petals get closed. The vibration sensor is placed on the leaves to detect the heavy hailstorms and prevent the system from damage by closing the petals which follow the helical path. This results in self cleansing action of petals during closing and opening of the petals. As a result the Smart Solar Tracker is 90% more efficient than the Traditional Solar panels installed.
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Penmetsa, Naga Venkata · CSUN ScholarWorks (California State University, Northridge) · 2015
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2019
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gamapvitor · 2023
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