Abstract
Increase in need of non-renewable energy sources has directed to the installation of PV plants in many areas. But considering the availability of land and the charges, the PV plant can be installed on water bodies like dams, reservoirs, lake, waste water treatment plants, canals etc. Floating type PV panels has a number of advantages compared to the land-based PV plant; its efficiency can be increased by effective cooling and tracking mechanism. The installation in water bodies offers additional advantages to the aquatic environment like reducing the evaporation rate of the water body, reduces unwanted plant growth in water body; improving the water quality. In this paper, detailed description of floating and the rotating structures in the plant. For higher efficiency the solar panel should be tracking in two axes, that is, tracking of azimuthal and altitude axis. Hence, dual axis tracking system is adopted and the mechanism is explained. Torque calculations are made for selection of correct stepper motor and hybrid linear actuator. Different materials for the platform are compared. A prototype made of wood was design and developed in NIT Puducherry.
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