Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Analysis of a PV Panel for a Smart Sunflower System

Abstract

The Smartflower, an innovative compact energy-generation system inspired by sunflowers, stands out in energy innovation. Unlike traditional photovoltaic (PV) panels, it integrates foldable solar cells within a foundational structure for solar tracking aligned with the sun's path. The present paper focuses on designing, fabricating, and analyzing a proposed Smartflower-PV panel solar system. The study aims to comprehensively evaluate the performance of the proposed PV panel under different atmospheric conditions. The significant impact of insolation and temperature on the panel's efficiency was revealed by comparing empirical results from the PV sunflower panel with analytical calculations using MATLAB (m. file code). Enhanced solar radiation improved the system’s performance and efficiency, resulting in higher power output. Analytical insights showed a direct correlation between a 104% increase in solar radiation and parallel increases of 115% in peak power production and 100% in output current. Conversely, higher temperatures reduced power output, with a 400% temperature rise causing an 11.11% power reduction. Empirical observations align with analytical analyses under equivalent conditions, validating the model’s accuracy. This study serves as a catalyst and guide for completing and advancing the Smartflower system's manufacturing, including control, tracking, and the entire energy-generation framework.