Interactive Control using Bluetooth for Dual Axis Sun Tracker with Three Light Sensors

Abstract

The use of renewable energy from solar panel systems is increasingly being applied, but until now the utilization has not been maximized. The movement of the sun caused by the rotation of the earth should be taken into account to maximize electrical energy in the solar panel (PV). In this study, a concept was proposed to control the movement of the two-axis sun tracker with smartphones using bluetooth communication. Controlled by rotating two DC motors, two axes are joined together into linear actuators that can extend and shorten, so that the solar panel can move towards the sun. This system uses a light sensor (Light Dependent Resistor) and a gyroscope sensor as input and two DC motors that are placed on each axis as output. The motor driver used is the Monster Moto Shield. Sun tracker that is used based on tetrahedron geometry and uses three light sensors. The light sensor functions to determine the position of the sun while the gyroscope sensor is used to determine the tilt angle of the solar panel. The gyroscope module used is MPU-6050. This system also uses the GY-273 compass sensor which functions to determine the direction of the wind direction. Components of input and output are connected to the ATmega328P microcontroller and wireless communication using bluetooth. The Bluetooth module used is the HC-05 module. The solar panel movement and the power obtained are then monitored and recorded for analysis