Construction and Automation of a Microcontrolled Solar Tracker

Queiroz, Juliano da Rocha; Souza, Anacreone da Silva; Gussoli, Maurício Klein; Oliveira, Júlio César Dainezi de; Andrade, Cid Marcos Gonçalves

doi:10.3390/pr8101309

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…As a result, solar trackers or solar panels that are dynamic and can follow the direction of sunlight can produce an increase in output voltage of about 11.53%, compared to fixed or stationary solar modules. The initial output voltage is 11.57 V, an increase of about 1.18 V compared to the static state [26]. Solar trackers refer to electromechanical systems that have the ability to follow the path of sunlight, aiming to point solar panels or collectors directly towards the sun.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-Axis Solar Panel Tracking Device Prototype With Iot-Based Monitoring

Awan,

Sofwan,

Multi

2024

IJST

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The aim of this project is to develop a dual-axis solar tracker equipped with an IoT monitoring system with the BLYNK platform using Arduino. Overall, solar energy refers to technologies that generate power from sunlight. The utilization of solar energy has been around for centuries and has been widely used without relying on other energy supplies. However, its importance is increasing as environmental awareness grows and the availability of other energy sources, such as fuel, becomes limited. Sun tracking systems are an effective technology that can improve the efficiency of solar panels by following the movement of the sun. With the help of this system, solar panels can automatically orient themselves to sunlight, improve sunlight detection, and increase electricity collection because solar panels can always be in a bright position. This project focuses on developing a two-axis sun tracker using Arduino Uno as the main controller. For its implementation, four light-sensitive resistors (LDRs) are used to detect sunlight and maximum light intensity. Two servo motors are used to move the solar panel according to the direction of sunlight detected by the LDRs. Furthermore, an ESP8266 WIFI device is used as an intermediary between the device and the IoT monitoring system. The IoT monitoring system is a website that serves to store data. The efficiency of this system is tested and compared with single axial sun tracking. The results show that the two-axis solar tracking system generates more power, voltage, and current compared to the single axial solar tracker.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-Axis Solar Panel Tracking Device Prototype With Iot-Based Monitoring

Awan,

Sofwan,

Multi

2024

IJST

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“…In this context, conducting studies and simulations that analyze the relationship between the photovoltaic generation system and deployment area, combined with the detection of possible failures in energy generation or the tracking system, has the potential to increase accuracy in the dimensioning process, thus avoiding financial losses [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of the Use of Evolutionary Algorithms for Modeling and Simulation of Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules

Grala,

Provensi,

Krummenauer

et al. 2023

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The purpose of this study is to employ and improve evolutionary algorithms, namely the genetic algorithm (GA) and the differential evolution algorithm (DE), to extract the parameters of the equivalent circuit model (ECM) of a bifacial photovoltaic module using the representative model of a diode with five parameters (1D5P). The objective is to simulate the characteristics of the I–V curves for various irradiation and temperature scenarios. A distinctive feature of this study is the exclusive use of the information in the technical sheet of the bifacial module to conduct the entire extraction and simulation process, eliminating the need to resort to external sources of data or experimental data. To validate the methods, a comparison was made between the simulation results and the data provided by the bifacial module manufacturer, contemplating different scenarios of irradiation and temperature. The DE was the most accurate algorithm for the 1D5P model, which presented a maximum average error of 1.57%. In comparison, the GA presented a maximum average error of 1.98% in the most distant scenario of STC conditions. Despite the errors inherent to the simulations, none of the algorithms presented relative errors greater than 8%, which represents a satisfactory modeling for the different operational conditions of the bifacial photovoltaic modules.

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“…Similarly, the authors in [18] developed a dual-axis STS prototype with an Arduino board that employed a stepper motor and a linear actuator for the azimuth and zenith axes, respectively, but the solar tracking accuracy was not characterized. In the same way, in [19] another dual-axis STS prototype was proposed; the authors built two mobile structures, one for the four-quadrant solar sensor and the other to move the PV payload. They employed an on-off control with hysteresis to achieve system stability during solar tracking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Accuracy Assessment of a High-Precision Dual-Axis Pre-Commercial Solar Tracker for Concentrating Photovoltaic Modules

et al. 2022

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In recent decades, advances in the development of solar tracking systems (STSs) have led to concentrating solar technologies to increase their energy conversion efficiency. These systems, however, still have areas of opportunity or improving their performance and reducing their manufacturing costs. This paper presents the design, construction and evaluation of a high-precision dual-axis solar tracking system with a technology readiness level of 7–8. The system is controlled by a low-cost Arduino board in a closed-loop control using a micro-electromechanical solar sensor. Real-time tracking experiments were performed under a clear sky as well as during partly and mostly cloudy days. Solar tracking accuracy was evaluated in an operational environment using test procedures adapted from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62817 standard. The total mean instantaneous solar tracking error on a clear day measured with a calibrated digital solar sensor was 0.37∘ and 0.52∘ with a developed pinhole projection system. Similarly, the total mean reported solar tracking accuracy achieved was 0.390∘ on a sunny day and 0.536∘ on a partially cloudy day. An annual power generation analysis considering a conventional photovoltaic (PV) panel system and a typical concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module as payloads was also presented. Simulations showed an increase in the generation of up to 37.5% for a flat panel with dual-axis tracking versus a fixed panel. In the case of the CPV system, first, a ray tracing study was implemented to determine the misalignment coefficient, then the annual power generation was estimated. The developed STS allowed the CPV modules to reach at least 90% of their nominal energy conversion efficiency.

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Construction and Automation of a Microcontrolled Solar Tracker

Cited by 10 publications

References 12 publications

Two-Axis Solar Panel Tracking Device Prototype With Iot-Based Monitoring

Two-Axis Solar Panel Tracking Device Prototype With Iot-Based Monitoring

Investigation of the Use of Evolutionary Algorithms for Modeling and Simulation of Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules

Development and Accuracy Assessment of a High-Precision Dual-Axis Pre-Commercial Solar Tracker for Concentrating Photovoltaic Modules

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