Design, implementation and performance assessment of a low-cost dual-axis solar tracker

Abstract

As the demand for energy increases and the cost of non-renewable resources continues to rise, many nations are working to find alternative sources of electricity before a crisis arises. This effort is focused on transitioning away from conventional energy sources and towards non-conventional ones. Energy from the sun is clean and available in natural quantities, which can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels on a large scale along with providing low-carbon solutions. By tracking the sun’s radiations, the photovoltaic (PV) panels could be directed in such a way that they collect high levels of sunlight. This article presents the design and performance assessment of a low-cost dual-axis solar tracking system based on Arduino. The main objective of this study is to show that the proposed solar-tracking system performs better a non-tracking system. A light sensor and two servo motors are also employed to move the solar panel toward a high-intensity light source. The software domain code was created using the C programming language using the Arduino IDE, which interacts with the Arduino board and its other connected devices. The performance of the prototype was assessed and compared to that of a stationary solar panel of the same rating. In this paper, the authors have highlighted the necessary techniques to build a low-cost solar tracker for extracting maximum photovoltaic energy using real-time data. In terms of power output, the results reveal that the tracking system surpasses the fixed solar panel, indicating increased performance at a reasonable cost. Therefore, the solar tracker has been proven to be very effective in capturing significant solar energy for solar harvesting applications.